Return of the Prince
by sapphire wind
Summary: Ryoma went back to Japan when he noticed that he was missing something. His return caused a certain auburn-haired girl to slowly become the Princess of Tennis in a male tennis team. Is love going to finally bloom or not?
1. Return of the Prince

**Alright, so this is my first attempt in making a PoT RyoxSaku fanfiction. Please be gentle with me. ^_^ Also, I think that there are some OOC.**

**I really just love Ryoma and Sakuno and before I posted this one, it was already bothering me a lot, enough to get on my nerves. So even if I don't know whether this will satisfy the readers, I posted it.**

* * *

><p><em>It was Spring once again and the sakura are blooming everywhere. It's also the start of a new year for me in Seigaku High. Momo-senpai and the other Senpais are also eagerly watching your watches in the television. They were always celebrating for you whenever you win. Of course, the Senpais miss you a lot. Inui-senpai once said that he'd show you the new version of his Inui Juice Progressive Drink when you get back home. Momo-senpai said that he'd bring you to the food chains where there are more delicious foods. The rest of the Regulars are waiting for you to come back even just for a visit.<em>

_Please do visit even just for a short period of time when you're available._

Ryoma read the email that a certain auburn-haired girl sent him through his computer. He and Sakuno exchanged email adds to let each other know what was happening to one another. Well, sort of. Because it was Ryoma who was mostly making mails about himself. Come to think of it, Sakuno never mentioned anything about herself nor about her tennis. There were none whatsoever when it came to her.

Ryoma just shrugged and typed his reply. They had been doing that for three years already but Ryoma was never bothered by it. Even though he sucks at communicating with people and even socializing, he doesn't feel a bit troubled when conversing with Sakuno. Perhaps it was because she's the only girl that he remembered. Even when he was in Japan, he couldn't remember the girls in his class and even their names. But Sakuno was different. He remembers every single detail about her.

Sakuno was a girl who blushes a lot and stutters a lot. She has absolutely no sense of direction and she can get lost anywhere even in her own house. She is also the clumsiest person he knows. She trips over her own legs even without tripping on stones or anything. She sucks a lot in English but is great in Japanese. Even though she has a lot of flaws, she also has a lot of good traits in her. For example, she is a great cook. She can almost rival his mother's cooking skills. She's also caring, kind-hearted and thoughtful. Even though he doesn't want to admit it, she has a beautiful smile, a gentle voice and a warm set of chocolate brown eyes. She also has a long hair that always get tangled in her racket. Even though he told her to cut her hair, a part of him disagrees a lot.

Ryoma remembered the time when he didn't want to help Horio out from a match that was supposed to be his. Sakuno scolded him and he found himself following her order to fight the man who was playing a match against Horio. That man was definitely horrible. But it was worth it because she smiled at him in the end. Somehow, he didn't want to see her upset of him. But then again, he knows that he has hurt her in ways that he didn't know of. He made her cry, maybe twice, worry about him when he was injured and sad when he said something he wasn't aware of. But before he left, he gave her his precious red racket. He wanted her to use his racket to improve. Just like something to encourage her with.

After a few minutes, he decided against making a reply mail to her. He already defeated almost everyone that he wanted to defeat and claimed a lot of trophies but something was still missing. He just couldn't put a finger on what it was but there was something that didn't make his life complete.

He then felt something bump his leg and he saw Karupin. The cat jumped to his lap and rubbed its head on his chest. He patted it on the head and looked at it.

"Ne, Karupin. Do you know what's missing right now?" He asked the cat that just meowed in response.

Ryoma smirked and stood up. Karupin jumped down and to the bed while Ryoma packed his things. He carried Karupin out and purchased a ticket to Japan. He decided to go back home to find out what the missing thing was. While on the flight, he was thinking as to what the thing could possibly be. Then, Sakuno's smiling face popped into his mind.

'Why'd I suddenly think of her?' He thought as he looked at the tennis ball in his hands. It was the one that Sakuno made with his chibi drawing. A smirk unconsciously found its way on his lips and when he noticed the said smirk, he just closed his eyes and placed the ball in his pocket before leaning his head on the window.

* * *

><p>The sound of the ball hitting the wall sounded through the quiet gorunds of Seigaku High. The twin braids flying through the air while the racket hits the ball back and forth was seen. Sakuno was busy practicing her skills. Surely, she improved a lot. She had been using Ryoma's red YonexBRIDGESTONE racket ever since he gave it to her. Aside from the mails they send each other, it was the only thing that connects her to him.<p>

After she got a hundred hits, she sighed and picked the ball on the ground then hid it in her pocket. Then, the rain started without any warning. Sakuno looked up and sighed. She just let the rain soak her through and through. She was feeling a little down but she didn't know why. Sakuno just stayed under the tree but she didn't mind the rain making her wet. Her sight wandered to the racket she was holding and a certain golden cat-eyed boy somewhere crossed her mind.

"Ryoma-kun..." she whispered as she hugged the racket closer to her.

'I want to see you. I want you to know that I improved in tennis. I may not be as good as you but I'm not the worst like how I was years ago. I've been using the racket you gave me. I also wanted to tell you about some of my accomplishments in tennis but... I find it hard to do so. I think that it was just... not important and irrelevant.' She thought while clutching the racket.

Sakuno lost track of time as to how many minutes or hours she stayed under the rain. It was not letting up while her sadness was not easing up either. She sighed again while looking at the pouring rain. Because she was too occupied with her thoughts, she didn't notice a figure approaching her.

When Sakuno opened her eyes, she saw a can of Ponta in front of her being held out by someone in front of her. She looked at the person and gasped. She saw a cat-eyed boy around her age with black hair and green highlights wearing a familiar white cap, red jacket and pants. She was reminded of the Prince who was in America playing a match against different players from around the world.

"Here." The boy said nonchalantly. That corrected Sakuno's hunch as to who the boy was.

"R-Ryoma-kun..."

"Yo." Ryoma quirked an eyebrow and looked at the soaked auburn-haired girl in front of him.

"Wh-Why are you... here...?"

Ryoma just shrugged and motioned the can of Ponta that he was holding. Sakuno accepted it even though her hands were trembling. Perhaps it was because of the cold. Or it was because of the Prince who came back without any notice. Ryoma stood next to her under the tree and looked ahead. Sakuno mustered all the courage she can and looked at him.

"Don't you have an upcoming match?" She was surprised at herself for not stuttering just like how she usually is.

"Hn."

"Why are you here?"

"I'm looking for something." Ryoma answered.

"What is it? C-Can I help?" Sakuno looked at the can in her hands while Ryoma looked at her from the corner of his eyes.

"I don't know what I'm looking for." Ryoma said lazily.

"Eh?"

"I just know that something's missing."

"O-Oh, I see. Does your family know that you're here?"

Ryoma shook his head a bit and sighed. Sakuno wondered as to why he sighed then saw the boy remove his jacket and place it on her shoulders.

"Use it."

"E-Eh? B-But I'm already wet."

"Don't care. Just use it."

Ryoma just can't tell her that he finds it hard to look at her when her clothes were tightly clinging to her body because of the rain, can he? Sakuno slid her arms through the sleeves and smiled at Ryoma. One thing more that the Prince got to admit, Sakuno looked good in his jacket.

"Thank you."

"Hn."

Silence made its way between the two while Sakuno was drinking the Cherry Ponta that Ryoma gave. The racket that she was previously holding was between the two of them, leaning on the tree. If Sakuno was a five-year-old girl, she would probably believe that the racket made her wish come true of seeing Ryoma.

"Why are you standing here without an umbrella?" Ryoma asked which caught Sakuno off-guard.

"E-Eh? Oh... Umm... It's because... I uhh... I don't know..." Sakuno stuttered. That was the truth. She just felt like getting soaked by the rain but right now, she was feeling alright. For some reason, now that she's with Ryoma, she feels better.

"Let's play a match." Ryoma ordered as he walked ahead.

"Ch-Chotto matte, Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno picked up the racket and ran after the boy. Being the usual klutz she had always been, she tripped. Luckily, Ryoma caught her before she took a dive to the ground.

"You're still clumsy." He commented.

"S-Sorry..."

"And your hair's still too long." He helped Sakuno to stand before walking. Sakuno sighed and followed Ryoma to the tennis court of Seigaku High.

"Show me what you've been doing with my racket." Ryoma said as he stood on the other side of the court with his other red racket in his right hand.

"H-Hai!" Sakuno bent her knees and served the ball. Its speed was reduced a bit because of the wet ground but Ryoma could say that the girl improved in both her stance and serve. Ryoma ran to the right and returned the ball. Sakuno was jumping a bit on her place before running and using her foot to hop a bit.

'Split Step?' Ryoma thought as Sakuno returned the ball. He ran and used his Drive A to return the ball. It was only when the ball crossed the net that he noticed what he did. He was supposed to go easy on Sakuno but to his surprise, Sakuno used a smash to return the ball.

Ryoma smirked under his cap and they played a match as if it was a real game under the rain. After thirty minutes, Ryoma won with the scores being 6-3 while Sakuno was panting. She never played a serious match against Ryoma before.

"I told you to mail me something relevant." Ryoma said while sitting beside her on the bench.

"H-Huh?" Sakuno looked at Ryoma who was looking at his red racket which she was holding.

"You never mailed anything about yourself and your tennis." Ryoma took the racket and examined it. It was very well used. He pulled the gut here and there then placed it on Sakuno's hand again.

"I-I thought it wasn't important..." Sakuno asnwered while blushing.

"How were you able to do the Split Step?"

Ryoma noticed how talkative he was that day. He spoke more than his usual amount of sentences. More so, to a girl. Then again, he wasn't troubled. It was Sakuno after all but why doesn't it bother him if she was the one he was talking to?

'Maybe it's because she's quiet and more feminine than any other girl.' Ryoma thought.

"I umm... I learned that by... watching your video that Inui-senpai took. I practiced that day and night until I was able to get it right." Sakuno shyly answered.

"Hmm. Why didn't you mail anything about that?"

"I-It's not that big of an accomplishment... I trip every now and then..."

"Should've told me." Ryoma stated. No, more like commanded.

"Sorry."

Ryoma sighed and stood up.

"Let's go."

"Where?"

"Changing Room."

Sakuno just followed Ryoma but she stayed outside knowing that girls are off-limits to the men's changing room. Ryoma entered the place where his bag was, took something from it and placed it on the bench. He went out again and looked at Sakuno who was leaning against the wall.

"Change your clothes."

"Eh?" Sakuno blushed as she looked at Ryoma.

"You'll get sick and Coach Ryuzaki will kill me."

"B-But... I don't have any..."

"Use my clothes on the bench." Ryoma said as he leaned on the wall outside the changing room. Sakuno hesistantly went inside and saw Ryoma's clothes folded on the bench. She quickly took of her blue shirt and skirt then wore Ryoma's red and white shirt then shorts. She folded her clothes and called Ryoma. Said boy went inside and looked at her.

He found himself wanting to not let her go out of the room while wearing his clothes. Heck, she looked a lot cuter than when she was wearing her previous clothes. He prided himself for being the only one to have seen her in her current state. Then, he felt that he was not longing for the missing thing he thought of earlier now that he was looking at Sakuno.

'It was Ryuzaki? She's the one that was missing?' He thought. He looked at the blushing girl again and smirked a bit. Yeah, she was the one who was missing. But why? Alright, he didn't know the answer to that but he'll find it out for sure.

"R-Ryoma-kun, I'll go out so you can change."

'Bad idea. No one's allowed to see you like that except me.' Ryoma thought. His possessive side was winning again.

"Stay but face the wall." Ryoma ordered. Sakuno blushed ten shades of crimson and went to the corner of the room. She bowed her head and closed her eyes. Ryoma took his other set of clothes from his bag then changed into it. Meanwhile, Sakuno was busy thinking.

'Mou... Ryoma-kun said that I should've told him about my tennis but it's just not important. Still, he insisted. I think I made him angry. Geez! I really am the worst.' She thought while her eyes were closed. She was so into her thoughts that she didn't notice that Ryoma was calling her.

"Ryuzaki. Ryuzaki."

'When am I going to stop bringing Ryoma-kun trouble? It has been three years since he left and when he came back, I started giving him problems again. Ryuzaki Sakuno, you are such a failure!'

"Ryuzaki!" Ryoma summoned as he gently tugged one of Sakuno's braids lightly and that was when Sakuno opened her eyes and looked at him. Good thing that Ryoma was already finished in changing his clothes. He was wearing a white collared shirt with red stripe on the chest and pants.

"Wh-What is it, Ryoma-kun?"

"What's wrong?"

"O-Oh, it's nothing."

"Three years passed but you're still a bad liar." Ryoma smirked as he commented her flaw that made Sakuno blush again.

"I-It's just that... I've been... giving you a lot of trouble even though you just came back... I'm very sorry, Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma just shook his head and sat on the bench. It was still raining but for some reason, he didn't care. His attention was fully concentrated on the twin-braided girl.

"It's nothing."

"Still... I'm sorry. I-If I can do something to make it up to you... please tell me."

"Food." Ryoma answered without any second thought.

"Food? You want me to cook for you?"

"Yeah."

"Then, you're staying here for a while? What about your match?" Sakuno asked curiously. Ryoma won the Grand Slam and all the other glamorous tennis competitions he had to fight but of course, he still had some fights here and there.

"I don't care about it. I'm staying here."

"That... That's great, Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno beamed with a beautiful smile that caught Ryoma off-guard. Did Sakuno's smile change or was it that she just became more beautiful? Who cares? It's a smile that he likes.

'Just when did I say that Ryuzaki's beautiful?' The Prince thought as he looked at the smiling girl.

'I guess just five seconds ago. Stupid hormones.'

Now that he's fifteen, he finally understood the things he had been forcing at the back of his mind when he was twelve. Including the feelings he has whenever he was with Sakuno. Adding the answer he came up with earlier, he knows that he's not going back to America without her. Even if he has to stay in Japan to stay with her, he'd do it without any second thought.

"Then, I'll leave my lunch to you."

"Hai! I'll cook it everyday."

Ryoma placed his bag to the floor so that Sakuno can sit beside him which the girl did.

"Are you going to study here?" Sakuno asked. Ryoma nodded as an answer.

"Oh. In what class?"

"You'll know tomorrow." Ryoma answered with a smirked. Before he went to the changing room to leave his bag and before he saw Sakuno bathing in the rain, he submitted his entry form to the principal. Of course, he was immediately accepted.

"Okay. Are you... going to play as a Regular here again?"

"Yeah. Buchou's still the captain, right?"

"Hai. Ano, good luck, Ryoma-kun. And, welcome back."

"Hn."

They talked with each other until the rain stopped. They both went out of the changing room and Sakuno went to the girl's changing room to take her things. She placed her wet clothes as well as Ryoma's jacket in her paper bag then went outside after locking the door.

"Let's go." Ryoma said.

"Eh? You'll walk me home?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you, Ryoma-kun."

They started walking while Sakuno had a smile on her face. Sakuno was really glad that Ryoma was back and that he was staying for quite some time. Also, she noticed that somehow, if she squinted, she'd see that they got closer even just a little bit. She waved goodbye to Ryoma when they reached her house then watched the Prince's retreating back as he walked home.

"Tadaima." Ryoma said as he took his shoes off and placed them in the shoe rack.

"Echizen Nanjiro isn- EH! Seishounen, why are you here!" Nanjiroh exclaimed when he saw Ryoma. Then, Rinko and Nanako came when they heard Nanjiroh.

"Welcome back, Ryoma-san." Nanako said.

"It's good to have you back, Ryoma." Rinko said as she ruffled Ryoma's hair playfully.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE! You have an upcoming match!" Nanjiroh said.

"So?"

"You don't care? I wonder why you don't? Is it because a blonde babe said that you should go back here?" The monk teased. At this, Ryoma smirked.

"No. I came back for an auburn-haired klutz." Ryoma said.

"Auburn? EH! That young boy really answered my question! Oi, Seishounen! Who's that auburn-haired beauty!"

"You don't have to know." Ryoma answered before slamming his door shut.


	2. The Cap

"Ryoma, breakfast is ready." Rinko called from the kitchen. Ryoma came down after ten minutes and was already wearing his uniform. He sat on the chair and placed his bag on the floor. He was thinking last night as to why he missed Sakuno when he was still in America. He remembered every match that he played and a part of him was longing to hear someone in the crowd cheer for him like how his Senpais, the freshmen trio as well as Sakuno and her loud-mouthed friend did whenever he was playing.

_'I longed for someone to cheer for me not because I'm called the Prince of Tennis but because I'm just Echizen Ryoma? Was that it?'_ He thought while staring at the food.

"Oi, Seishounen. Tell me who that auburn-haired beauty is." Nanjiroh said while holding his precious 'newspaper'.

"Yada."

"Who is she? An American?"

"No."

"Then, what? Ohhh, it's a Japanese, huh? I wonder who."

"Anata, I'm sure that Ryoma's going to tell us when he's ready." Rinko said.

"You already met her mom." Ryoma answered as he ate his favorite Japanese breakfast.

"I did? When?"

"Three years ago."

"Three years ago? Three years... ago? Oh, you mean she's..." Rinko trailed off and Ryoma smirked.

"Yeah, that's her."

"I see. I must say, she's really pretty, Ryoma. No wonder you came back. You surely didn't inherit the personality of someone I know who just looks at a girl because of her body." Rinko smiled in understanding.

"What are you two talking about? Who's the special girl? Who is she? How'd you know, Rinko? And why are you insulting me?" Nanjiroh asked.

"Oh, it would be our secret to keep and I'm not insulting you. I was complimenting you." Rinko said with a smile but Nanjiroh saw through that.

"Why? I'm your husband! I should know! And don't lie, woman! It's a sarcastic compliment."

"And Ryoma's my son so I'll keep it a secret, especially from you."

"WHY!"

"Because you're a perverted old monk who always carry these things." Rinko snatched away Nanjiroh's newspaper and took the porn magazine out of it before tossing it to the trash can.

"My treasure!"

"I'll be going now." Ryoma said as he carried his bag after wearing his shoes.

"Itterashai. And bring her here some time." Rinko said.

"Sure, mom."

Ryoma left the house and walked to Seigaku High. He thought about the times that Sakuno cheered for him in his matches three years ago. Whether she was silently cheering for him or cheering with their Senpais, she was always wishing the best for him. She was always the first one who worry about him in his matches and when he had injuries even if it meant being scolded by her Grandma.

_'Ryuzaki never called me the Prince of Tennis. It had always been that stuttering 'Ryoma-kun'. Why is her cheer different from the other people even the Senpais? I don't understand.'_ He thought as he ran his fingers through his hair.

* * *

><p>"Good morning." Sakuno greeted her her best friend Tomoka after entering the classroom.<p>

"Good morning, Sakuno. You seem happy about something. What is it about?" Tomoka said after seeing the smile on Sakuno's face.

"It's because..."

"Sensei's here." Horio announced as their homeroom teacher came in.

"Alright, class. Before I begin the lesson, I would like to tell all of you that you'll have a new classmate."

The whispers and murmurs started after that. Tomoka looked at Sakuno and whispered.

"Do you know who it is?"

"I don't." Sakuno answered.

"Since you're all that excited, you can come in now."

The door opened and the said student went inside. The rest of the class gasped as they saw who it was.

"ECHIZEN!" Horio shouted.

"RYOMA-SAMA!" Tomoka shouted as loud.

"Ryoma... -kun..." Sakuno had a hand covering her mouth after she gasped when she saw Ryoma enter the room.

_'So that's why he was smirking when he answered my question yesterday. He's going to be in the same class as me!'_ She thought.

"That's right. Your new classmate is Echizen Ryoma-kun. Treat him nicely, okay? Echizen-kun, sit beside Ryuzaki-san. Do you know her?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Ryuzaki-san, I'll be leaving Echizen-kun into your hands, okay?"

"H-Hai." Sakuno stuttered as Ryoma sat beside her on the dual seat.

The rest of the class continued until the bell for the lunch break echoed through the whole school. The freshmen trio namely, Kachiro, Katsuo and Horio as well as Tomoka were surrounding Sakuno and Ryoma's place.

-"Welcome back, Ryoma-kun."- Kachiro and Katsuo said in unison.

"Hn."

"Don't you have a match, Echizen?" Horio asked.

"Shut up, loud-mouthed unibrow! Ryoma-sama's here because he is here!" Tomoka said.

"I'm not talking to you, Osakada!"

"Shut up!"

"I'm hungry." Ryoma said and Sakuno took a bento from her bag.

"As promised. Here's your lunch, Ryoma-kun."

"Thank you."

"Oya? Since when did Ryuzaki cooked lunch for Echizen?" Horio asked again.

"Sakuno, did you know that Ryoma-sama was back before he went to the class?" Tomoka asked.

"I-I... uhh... a-ano..."

"We met yesterday." Ryoma answered as he ate the delicious lunch that Sakuno cooked for him.

-"EH?"- The four people chorused. Sakuno just blushed.

"You're so lucky, Sakuno! Hey, we'll eat with you two, okay?" Tomoka pushed her dual-seat closer to the other two's. Her seatmate was Horio so it was no surprise that Ryoma and the others would be experiencing an eardrum-shattering loudness with the two around and in one dual-seat. Their teacher probably had something against them for putting the most loud-mouthed students they know together on one seat. Kachiro and Katsuo also moved their seats closer and all of them ate.

"A-Ano, I have strawberry short-cakes here." Sakuno opened the lid of the other bento on her table after she ate her lunch.

"It sure do look delicious, Ryuzaki. Ittadaki-" Horio was cut off when Tomoka whacked him on the head.

"Why'd you do that, Osakada!"

"Ryoma-sama goes first, unibrow."

Ryoma took a slice and ate it. Sakuno blushed and smiled.

"H-How is it, Ryoma-kun?"

"Delicious." Ryoma whispered but that didn't go unnoticed by Sakuno.

"I'm glad. You can go and have some now, Horio-kun. Of course you too, Tomo-chan, Kachirou-kun and Katsuo-kun."

"Ittadakimasu!" Horio ate the slice he took and the other three did too.

While they were eating, they heard rushing footsteps from the corridor. Then, from the window of their room, they saw Momoshiro and Eiji.

"ECHIZEN!"

"Ochibi, you're back! You're really back! Yay!" Eiji leapt through the window and engulfed Ryoma in a tight bear hug. Some things just really don't change, do they? Eiji's still jumpy and way too energetic for his own good.

"Echizen, why didn't you tell us you'd be coming back! Don't you know that we missed you a lot!" Momoshiro exclaimed as he too entered the room.

"S-Senpai... air... I'm suffocating..." Ryoma said as he forced himself out of Eiji's hug.

"Oops, sorry, Ochibi." Eiji let go of Ryoma who gasped for air.

"Ryoma-kun..." Sakuno knelt down and patted Ryoma on the back lightly.

"Ne, ne. Ryuzaki-chan, did he tell you that he'd be coming home?" asked Eiji.

"He didn't but... we met yesterday." Sakuno shyly answered.

-"Heh..."- Eiji and Momoshiro exchanged glances and goofy smiles.

"Ne, Momo-senpai. There's going to be a Regular Ranking Tournament again, right?" Ryoma asked when he finally got his breath back.

"Yeah. It's going to start later. Are you planning on returning as a Regular?"

"Ah. And I'm going to beat you guys again." Ryoma smirked as he answered.

"Really? Maybe it's because you have your own cheering squad." Momoshiro said although he was looking at Sakuno who was blushing.

"We'll cheer for you later, Ryoma-sama. Don't worry. If it's cheering we're talking about, Sakuno and I won't lose to anyone!" Tomoka proudly said.

"Say, why don't you two wear cheering uniforms? I'm sure you'll look cute." Eiji suggested with a smile.

"E-Eh?" Sakuno looked at him while Tomoka squealed.

"Of course! Sakuno, let's wear our new cheering uniform! Excuse us, Senpais and Ryoma-sama. Sakuno and I have a business to do!" Tomoka pulled Sakuno out of the room while Momoshiro looked at Ryoma.

"So, Echizen. Who's the person who'll wear your cap?"

"Yeah, Ochibi. You said before that the only person who'll wear your cap is someone important to you and the one you treasure." Eiji draped his arms on Momoshiro's shoulders as he spoke.

Three years ago, Momoshiro and Eiji pulled a prank on Ryoma by 'borrowing' his precious Fila Cap. Ryoma was irritated as hell that day. He mercilessly beat Momoshiro and Eiji for them to return his cap to him and ended up saying that the only person who was going to wear his cap will be someone he treasures. It became a rule for the Regulars as well as the girls in the school. It even spread to other schools. In the end, Ryoma chose no one at that time. Now that he was back, he had a person in mind who's going to wear his precious cap.

"Mada mada dane. You're still as nosy as ever, Momo-senpai and Kikumaru-senpai."

"But tell us, have you chosen someone already?" Momoshiro said.

"Don't know." Ryoma shrugged and the two shook their heads.

"Dense as a rock." Eiji said.

"And stupid to boot." Momoshiro added which earned them cold death glares from Ryoma. The two Regulars however, weren't affected. They were so used to that unless the coldness of the glare drops down to -25 degrees, they wouldn't be affected by it. It was Inui who told them that years ago when he was calculating and colleting data again.

Time passed and it was time for the Ranking Tournament. All the tennis members were standing at the court while Tezuka was in front of them. Oishi was looking at the members when he spoke.

"Today, we're holding the Regular Ranking Tournament where we'll choose the Seigaku Regulars."

The gates opened and they saw a boy wearing a white cap with a red racket in hand looking at them with a smirk.

"E-Echizen..." Oishi stuttered.

"Chiisu." Ryoma greeted.

"It really is you! Momo and Eiji weren't joking!" Kawamura said as he, Fuji, Inui and Oishi approached Ryoma. Momoshiro and Eiji were just chuckling, Tezuka was looking at them with his usual stoic expression while Kaidoh smirked.

"I'll be joining the Ranking Tournament." Ryoma stated.

-"Great!"-

"Everyone line up." Tezuka ordered which the members as well as the Regulars and Ryoma did.

"The Ranking Tournament is starting now."

They started the first match which was Arai against Eiji. Ryoma was standing outside the court when he heard a loud girl's voice. It was Toko-something. Does her name even start with Toko? Well, for Ryoma, it was Sakuno's loud-mouthed friend who always break the eardrums of those near her.

"Come on out, Sakuno. We have to cheer for Ryoma-sama and the Senpais." Tomoka said as she tried to pull Sakuno out of her hiding place.

"I-I don't want to, Tomo-chan. It's embarassing." Sakuno whined while blushing.

"It's not embarassing. It's cute! Come out now!" With one final pull, Sakuno came out.

Tomoka and Sakuno were wearing a blue one-pice tube and skirt outfit which was open in the midriff by a diamond shaped-hole. They were also holding blue and yellow pompoms.

"That's cute." Fuji commented.

"We'll be counting on your cheer during the games, okay?" Oishi said.

"Eh? That means..." Tomoka trailed off while Sakuno was hiding behind her. She was hiding from Ryoma who was looking at her earlier before looking down.

"You'll be our official cheering squad. Those Regulars who don't have matches at the time will cheer from time to time." Kawamura said.

"I'll also be joining you, nya!" Eiji said while shaking his pompoms.

"KYA! Sakuno, did you hear that? We're the official cheering squad!" Tomoka hugged Sakuno as she jumped.

"Y-Yes, we are."

"Echizen, don't you think that Ryuzaki-chan is cute?" Momoshiro said as he nudged Ryoma with his elbow.

"Shut up, Momo-senpai."

"Ryuzaki-chan, Echizen said that you- Ittai!" Momoshiro shouted when Ryoma threw a tennis ball at his face. Sakuno was still hiding behind Tomoka and was blushing.

"Ryuzaki-san and Osakada-san, can you two pose for a bit? I'm going to take your picture." Fuji said while holding his precious camera. That made Ryoma look up from under his cap. The two posed for a picture even though Sakuno was forced to do it while Fuji was their photographer. After that, Oishi announced that it was Ryoma's match.

"KYA! Good luck, Ryoma-sama!" Tomoka scream while waving her pompoms around.

"R-Ryoma-kun..." Sakuno trailed off as Ryoma approached her. This made the everyone quiet except those with matches.

"Wh-What is it?" The girl asked.

"Cheer for me." Ryoma whispered as he took his cap off and placed it on Sakuno's head. Tomoka gasped while on the background, the 'what' and 'huh' from the other people echoed. Momoshiro and Eiji whistled while looking at the two. The girls who witnessed the whole scene gasped then glared at Sakuno.

"H-Hai." Sakuno answered even though she didn't know why the others made such a reaction. She wasn't around when Ryoma announced the thing about his beloved cap.

Ryoma smirked because he knows that she didn't know why he made her wear his cap. He then entered the court to play a match against Inui.

"Based from my calculations, it's 97.76% that Ryuzaki-san didn't know why you placed your cap on her."

"Hn. That's alright."

"Sakuno, you're really so lucky!" Tomoka said as she hugged Sakuno.

"E-Eh? Why?" Sakuno stuttered while holding the tip of Ryoma's cap on her head.

"Oh, yeah. You weren't around that time."

"That time?"

"Ryoma-sama made a rule that whoever wears his cap-"

"Osakada-san, I think it would be better if you'll let Echizen tell Ryuzaki-san about his cap." Fuji said.

"Hai, Fuji-senpai."

"Fuji-senpai, what's with Ryoma-kun and his cap?" Sakuno asked.

"You'll know soon."

Time passed quickly and Ryoma finished his match against his Senpais. He was back to being a Regular. He changed to his uniform while Sakuno was waiting for him at the school gates. She was already wearing her school uniform with Ryoma's cap on her head. After a few minutes, Ryoma came and Sakuno looked at him.

"C-Congratulations on becoming a Regular again, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno said with a smile and Ryoma smirked then pulled the cap on her head to secure it.

"Thank you."

They started walking afterwards.

"Ne, Ryoma-kun. What was Fuji-senpai talking about your cap?"

"I'll tell you next time."

"Okay. Umm, won't you be needing your cap during tournaments?"

"Then, don't skip any of my matches."

"H-Hai!"

Without any warning, Ryoma held Sakuno's hand and pulled her to walk beside him. Sakuno gasped and blushed ten shades of crimson once again. Ryoma smirked and tightened his hold on Sakuno's hand a bit.

"I'll pick you at your house on Saturday. 10 AM." He said.

"E-Eh? Where are we going?" Sakuno asked even though she just got redder.

"At my house."

"EH!" Ryoma stopped on his track when he heard Sakuno's loud gasp. He looked at her and saw her shaking a bit while blushing.

"B-But I... I uhh..." Sakuno started stuttering that's why Ryoma didn't understand a word she said.

"Mom said she wants to meet you."

"But... but..."

"Just prepare for Saturday."

"H-Hai."

Minutes later, they reached the Ryuzaki Residence and Ryoma let go of Sakuno's hand. Sakuno shyly looked at him from under the cap's bill.

"Th-Thank you f-for walking me home."

"Betsuni. Ja."

"See y-you tomorrow." Sakuno said as Ryoma walked away.

When Ryoma reached his house, he saw another pair of white rubber shoes on the floor and his eyebrows immediately furrowed. He took off his shoes and was about to go upstairs when he heard a very familiar annoying voice.

"Chibisuke!" Ryoga said as he glomped on Ryoma, almost making the Prince to the fall because of his weight.

"Why are you here?"

"Why? Can't I visit my family? After all, I was always not home so I decided to have a vacation for a while."

"You'll make my days seem like a living hell." Ryoma said as he tried to pry Ryoga's arms off him but the older boy was stronger.

"So cold, so cold. Were you rejected by the girl you like?" Ryoga teased with a smirk.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ryoma glared at Ryoga but Ryoga just laughed it off.

"Just a hunch. After all, my dear little brother isn't always easy to anger but you're already angry before I hugged you. I also heard from Oyaji that you came back for a girl."

"Get off me, Aniki."

"Okay, okay. By the way, where's your favorite cap? I don't see it on you. Where is it, Chibisuke?" Ryoga said as he got off Ryoma and searched his brother's bag for the missing white cap.

"Get your hands off my things." Ryoma warned but Ryoga kept on searching for the cap.

"Where is it? Where's your cap? Without it, I can't tease you and annoy you more than the usual! Oyaji, Chibisuke's cap is missing! Let's report it to the police! I need that cap to annoy Chibisuke!" Ryoga shouted which made Nanjiroh appear from the living room.

"WHAT! Call the police! This is a crisis!" Nanjiroh said as he ran around the house. Ryoma glared at the two and carried his bag after Ryoga searched through it then went upstairs.

"Che. Idiots."

* * *

><p>"Tezuka-kun, Hyoutei's Sakaki-sensei said that there is a new competition in tennis. I was planning on entering that competition. What do you think?" The coach of the Male Tennis Team in Seigaku High, Shirota Yukina said.<p>

"What kind of competition is it, Sensei?" Tezuka asked.

"A mixed team composed of skilled male and female tennis players."


	3. Hide and Seek

**A big thanks to all those who gave their reviews and those who placed this story in their likes, alerts and favorites. It's an honor for me. Thanks a lot!**

**Oh, I have a poll on my profile page concerning Tezuka's supposed-to-be-girlfriend in this series. If you have the time, please vote. Thanks.**

**Here's "Hide and Seek"!**

* * *

><p>"A mixed team composed of skilled male and female tennis players." Yukina answered with a smile before drinking her tea.<p>

"A mixed team?"

"That's right. Sakaki-sensei thought it's a good opportunity to see the real power of women who likes tennis. Of course, it would be different from the usual women tennis players because they can also fight with men. The starting games would be women against women and of course, men against men but as the games continues to be a tournament, it would change to women against men and vice versa."

"How are we going to recruit women tennis players?"

"I prefer to go by recommendations. We shouldn't choose the girls in our women team because they have their own competitions to play. We should look for new girls with skills different from the usual ones, just like you guys on the male team. If you or the players or anyone have someone in mind, you can play a match against that person to know whether or not she's qualified to be a female Regular."

"I understand, Shirota-sensei."

* * *

><p>"Rinko, have you seen that young boy's white cap?" Nanjiroh said while searching the cabinets.<p>

"I haven't seen it, Dear."

"Nanako-nee-san, did Chibisuke leave yesterday with his cap? It's missing." Ryoga said as he opened the drawers in search for Ryoma's cap.

"Ryoma-san always go to school with his cap in his bag. If it isn't there, then, Ryoma-san probably hid it." Nanako answered while wiping the dishes.

Ryoma's eyebrow was twitching from the irritation he was receiving from Ryoga and Nanjiroh. They were still looking for his Fila Cap which was in another person's hands at the moment and probably, the following days. It was a good thing that he handed the cap to Sakuno for the time being because if he didn't do it, he would've thrown baskets of tennis balls at Nanjiroh and Ryoga.

"Che. No wonder Oyaji and Aniki are father and son. They're both idiots." He muttered.

"Ryoma, it's already 9. Aren't you going to leave soon?" Rinko asked and Ryoma stood up. He front door and wore his shoes.

"Where're you going, Chibisuke? Your cap's missing so where the heck do you think are you going?" Ryoga asked. Ryoma didn't answer and continued tying his shoe laces to knots. He stood up, opened the door and went out, leaving a baffled Ryoga who once again searched for the missing cap.

* * *

><p>"What am I going to do!" Sakuno whined while surrounded by her clothes. She was kneeling on the floor while looking at the mountains of clothes that she threw out of her closet.<p>

"Sakuno, Echizen would be arriving in ten minutes. Are you ready?" Sumire asked while looking at her grand-daughter and found the answer to her question when she saw the clothes littered around the room.

"Obaa-chan, I don't have anything to wear!"

"Pick anything you're comfortable with. What about that white sleeveless blouse with red thin ribbon on the front and a skirt?" Sumire said as she pointed at the clothes she mentioned.

"Alright, Obaa-chan." Sakuno hurriedly took the clothes and went straight to the bathroom while Sumire shook her head with a smile. She went down to the living room and read a magazine.

Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang and Sumire stood up to open the door. Outside, she saw Ryoma with his hands in his pockets looking as stoic as ever.

"Ah, you're here. I'll just call Sakuno." Sumire went upstairs and called Sakuno from outside the room.

"Sakuno, Echizen's here!"

"H-Hai!" Sakuno finished braiding her hair and went out of her room. She went down the stairs but her clumsy side started its day which caused her to slip on the stairs. She closed her eyes while waiting for the impact of hitting the rest of the steps or even the floor but none of the two ever came. She opened her eyes and saw Ryoma holding her.

"S-Sorry for making you wait, Ryoma-kun." She said. Ryoma shrugged and let her stand on her own again.

"We'll be going now, Obaa-chan."

"Okay. Echizen, take good care of my grand-daughter, will you?" Sumire said and Ryoma nodded a bit.

"Ittekimasu."

Sakuno and Ryoma left the household and walked down the path. Sakuno was looking at her shoes while walking. Her mind was pretty much preoccupied.

'Mou! What am I going to do! What am I supposed to do! I'm going to Ryoma-kun's house but I don't know what I'm supposed to do... What if his parents are there? Baka Sakuno! Of course his parents would be there. Just what am I going to do?' She thought while walking.

From his peripheral vision, Ryoma saw Sakuno with her head down and possibly thinking about something deep. They turned left and Ryoma almost ran into someone but using his reflexes, he was able to move sideward. Sakuno, on the other hand, accidentally stepped on the guy's rubber shoes.

"I-I'm sorry." Sakuno said as she bowed.

"What's your sorry going to do with my dirty rubber shoes!" The guy said while glaring at Sakuno.

"I-I'm very s-sorry."

When Sakuno straightened, she saw that the one she stepped on was the very same guy whom she stepped on three years ago when she was with An.

"You're that girl from before. You've got to pay me this time for stepping on my shoes the second time around. Give me 230,000. You gave me toruble twice so the price is bigger than before."

"E-Eh?" Sakuno said with tears in her eyes which irritated Ryoma. He was rarely angry and out of control but today's probably going to change that because he didn't like the sight of seeing Sakuno with tears. If he was angry at himself for making the girl cry before, what more if some other guy makes Sakuno cry and just because of a stupid pair shoes too?

'Unforgivable.' He thought.

Without any word, Ryoma stepped on the guy's other shoes which made the man glare at him but Ryoma's glare was much colder and scarier. Sakuno almost flinched while the guy started trembling a bit. Although, he hid it by getting pissed at the cat-eyed boy.

"Why are you making a fuss over something that's going to get dirty anyway?" Ryoma said.

"You bastard! Pay for the dry-clean of my shoes!"

"Let's go, Ryuzaki." Ryoma said as he pulled Sakuno's hand to make her walk.

"Oi! Come back here!" The guy tried to grab Sakuno's braid but Ryoma suddenly turned around and gave the guy a knuckle-sandwich which threw the idiot backwards and down on the ground. Ryoma wasn't only into tennis matches and occasional street fights but still, it's about tennis. Except this one though.

"R-Ryoma-kun..." Sakuno stuttered while looking at the angry teen beside her.

"Touch her and die." Ryoma warned as his glare intensified. If only Momoshiro and Eiji were there, they would finally be affected by the death glare and Inui would calculate that Ryoma's cold glare dropped down to -40 degrees. The guy who had a broken nose hastily got up and ran away while screaming like a girl.

"S-Sorry for the trouble, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno said while looking down.

Ryoma sighed and lifted his left hand. Then, he placed it under Sakuno's chin and tilted her head upwards.

"Don't look down."

"H-Hai." Sakuno responded even though she was just like a human tomato.

Ryoma started walking again while holding Sakuno's hand. After a while, they reached the Echizen Residence and that was where Ryoma let go of Sakuno's hand to open the gate. Then, he opened the door and the both of them went inside.

"We're here."

"Welcome back, Ryoma-san. Good morning. I'm Meino Nanako, Ryoma-san's cousin. Pleased to meet you." Nanako said as she greeted them and smiled at Sakuno.

"R-Ryuzaki Sakuno desu. P-Pleased to meet you too." Sakuno stuttered as she bowed then straightened and smiled at Nanako.

"Come in, Sakuno-san. Ryoma-san, please lead her to the living room. Obaa-sama will be there in a minute."

"Where's Oyaji?" Ryoma asked.

"He's at the backyard."

"Let's go, Ryuzaki." Ryoma said as he started to walk.

"H-Hai." Sakuno hastily removed her shoes and neatly placed them on the floor. She bowed again at Nanako before following Ryoma.

"Ano, Ryoma-san. That's not the way to the living room."

"Yeah. We're going somewhere else to avoid Oyaji." Ryoma said as he and Sakuno disappeared from Nanako's sight who was shaking her head while smiling.

"Ryoma-san's overprotective." She muttered as she went to the living room.

"Nanako-chan, where's that bratty son of mine?" Nanjiroh asked as he entered the living room from the backyard.

"Did I just hear a girl's voice?" Ryoga asked.

"Oji-sama, Ryoma-san's hiding away from you. Ryoga-san, Ryoma-san's the one to answer your question whether he has a guest or not." Nanako answered with a smile.

"EH! Why would he do that?" Even up to that time, Nanjiroh still hasn't caught Ryoma hiding at the common room. It seemed like Ryoma always knows when Nanjiroh will look for him there so he retreats back to his room or uses the back door to go outside without being noticed.

"Because Ryoma doesn't want you to know who his special guest is and Ryoga, I think it would be better if you'll finish your task of cutting the weeds." Rinko said as she came from the kitchen.

"Hai." Ryoga continued trimming the grass while thinking of Ryoma and his guest.

'I'm sure he's with a girl.' He thought.

"And where the heck would he hide in this house!" Nanjiroh exclaimed.

"Who knows? Nanako-san, would you keep an eye on my husband for a while?"

"Of course, Auntie."

Rinko left the room and went to the hallway. She already knew where Ryoma would be. Just like his usual habit when he doesn't want to be with his father and brother, he's staying at the second common room located at the back of the house. She caught him once and swore that she wouldn't tell Nanjiroh and Ryoga a thing.

"You're here." She said as she went inside the room and saw Ryoma sitting on the floor while watching a tennis match on tv while his guest Sakuno looked at her and stood up.

"G-Good morning. I'm R-Ryuzaki Sakuno, Coach Ryuzaki's grand-daughter." Sakuno politely said as she bowed.

"Good morning to you too, Sakuno-san. I'm Rinko, Ryoma's mom. I apologize for Ryoma's cold attitude towards you."

"N-No. It's not a problem at all."

"Ryoma, why don't you treat Sakuno-san nicely? I just might tell your father and Ryoga that this is where the two of you are hiding." Rinko said with a smirk which made Ryoma's eyebrow twitch. His mother would surely do it because she is Echizen Rinko, the only woman who can tame his Wild Samurai of a father Echizen Nanjiroh and his mischievous brother Ryoga.

'Ryoga? I wonder who he is.' Sakuno thought.

"What do you want? Tea or juice?" Ryoma asked as he faced Sakuno.

"A-Anything would be fine."

Ryoma stood up and left the room. Rinko sat beside Sakuno who was playing with the hem of her skirt.

"Sakuno-san, you also play tennis, right?" Rinko asked.

"H-Hai. Although, I'm still not good enough to pass as a Regular in the women's team."

"I'm sure Ryoma's willing to teach you and help you improve."

"I-I'd just give trouble to Ryoma-kun. H-He's back into being a Regular so..."

"Don't worry about that, Sakuno-san. I'm sure he's going to do it anyways, right Ryoma?" Rinko said as Ryoma entered the room while holding two cans of Ponta. One was grapes and the other was cherry.

"Hn." Ryoma handed Sakuno the cherry flavored which the girl accepted.

"Th-Thank you."

"Betsuni." Ryoma said as he sat down on the floor and watched the tennis match again.

"You really are cold, Ryoma." Rinko commented and Ryoma just shrugged.

"Ne, Sakuno-san. Are you a player in Seigaku High?"

"U-Uhh... no. The team captain, Nakima-san, said that I should train and pratice a lot first before I play against the other Senpais to be a Regular in the women's team." Sakuno answered while looking at her lap. Even though Ryoma wasn't facing both ladies, he was listening while watching.

"Oh, my. You can do it, Sakuno-san. I was the same just like you when I was younger. Just believe in yourself and in your tennis." Rinko said wih a smile.

"H-Hai. Thank you very much, Echizen-san."

"Rinko-san would be alright, Sakuno-san."

'You can even call me Mom if you like.' Rinko thought.

"H-Hai. R-Ri-Rinko-san."

Suddenly, Ryoma stood up while holding his can of Ponta. This made Sakuno and Rinko look at him.

"What is it, Ryoma?" Rinko asked.

"Che. That guy's here. Ryuzaki, let's go." Ryoma went out of the room while Sakuno bowed before following him. They went to the backdoor and Ryoma led Sakuno to the hallway and the second floor without going through the front door.

"R-Ryoma-kun, wh-where are we going?" Sakuno asked while trailing behind Ryoma who opened a door and let them both in.

When Sakuno looked at the room, it was blue and there was a bed next to the wall. A cat was also sleeping on it. There were few tennis magazines placed on the floor and on the headrest was an alarm clock and two tennis balls. Beside the study table was a tennis bag which Ryoma uses.

"Wh-Whose room is th-this?"

"Mine." Ryoma said as he opened the curtain to let some sunlight through.

"EH-" Before Sakuno was able to gasp out loud, Ryoma placed a hand on her mouth. This made Sakuno become a human tomato once again.

"Don't be too loud. Aniki might hear you." After a while of not hearing any ruckus from downstairs, Ryoma took his hand off Sakuno's mouth and sat on his bed.

"S-Sorry. By Aniki... does that mean that... y-you have an older brother?"

"Yeah. He's annoying like Oyaji so keep quiet."

"H-Hai."

* * *

><p>"Kaa-san, where's Chibisuke?" Ryoga said as he went to the common room where Rinko was.<p>

"I think he's hiding."

"Why and where?"

Rinko just shrugged while Ryoga scratched the back of his head.

* * *

><p>Sakuno blushed while looking at her feet. She had never entered a boy's room before but she's inside the room of the boy she loves right now. It was way too embarassing for her. Ryoma, on the other hand, seemed to not mind Sakuno being inside his room. As long as she keeps quiet, she'll be safe from his father and brother. He looked at Karupin who opened its feline eyes and meowed at him.<p>

Sakuno watched as Ryoma patted the furry cat on the head. She noticed that Ryoma's eyes somewhat became gentle. She guessed that it was because Ryoma was quite attached to the feline. She stayed standing while watching Ryoma and Karupin.

"A-Ano, Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma looked at her while his hand was on Karupin's head.

"Wh-What's your cat's name?"

"Karupin. He's a Himalayan."

"It's a cute name." Sakuno said as she smiled. Karupin meowed and jumped down from Ryoma's bed. Then, he approached Sakuno. Karupin rubbed his head against Sakuno's leg, making the girl giggle.

"Nice to meet you, Karupin-chan. I'm Ryuzaki Sakuno." Sakuno said as she knelt down to pat Karupin who jumped to her lap and curled himself to a ball.

Ryoma was watching the whole scene. Seeing Sakuno so carefree like that than when she's with him made him wonder as to why she always seemed to be burdened whenever she was with him. Also, it's the first time that he heard Sakuno talk without stuttering too much.

'Did I do something wrong to her?' Ryoma thought. Then, he felt that weird feeling again whenever Ryoga or Nanjiroh was around. He stood up and walked to the door. Good thing that Sakuno was leaning on the wall next to the door. So, if he opens the door, she wouldn't be seen.

"R-Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno looked at the boy with confusion.

"Keep quiet."

Sakuno nodded and Ryoma opened the door when someone knocked from the outside.

"What do you want?" Ryoma asked in an irritated voice.

"Chibisuke, where's your cap? And who's your guest?" Sakuno heard the man from outside say.

"Don't know." Ryoma answered and attempted to close the door but the guy used his foot to stop the door from closing. This made Sakuno inch to the wall.

"Come on, Chibisuke. Tell your brother where your cap is. You know very well that I can't annoy you without it."

Sakuno blushed at the mention of the cap. It was in her room on the headrest of her bed. She decided that that would be the safest place to put it where she won't lose it and forget it when going to school.

"Then it's better for you to not know where my cap is." Ryoma attempted to close the door for the second time but Ryoga blocked it again. This time, Ryoma stepped on Ryoga's foot. Ryoga jumped back when Ryoma stepped on it. Finally, Ryoma was able to close the door. He sighed and sat behind the door after locking it.

"No one hides anything from Echizen Ryoga, Chibisuke!"


	4. Sakuno VS Ryoga

**Yay! Chapter 4 is up! Thank you very much to all those who read this and gave their comments. The following chapters may still revolve around Ryoma and Sakuno but little by little, the new characters will start to pop out one by one. Please wait for that, okay? =)**

**Here's RotP's continuation! Douzo!**

* * *

><p><strong>Sakuno VS Ryoga<strong>

"No one hides anything from Echizen Ryoga, Chibisuke!" Ryoga shouted as he went down the stairs. Then, he saw a pair of white doll shoes on the floor beside Ryoma's rubber shoes. He looked at it and examined the pair. It was plain white with two small ribbons on both shoes.

_'These shoes aren't Nanako-nee-san's or Kaa-san's. That short brother of mine is really hiding something, rather, someone.'_ He thought as he grinned and went to the living room.

"Oyaji, Chibisuke's growing up!" Ryoga said as he went to the living room and saw Nanjiroh lying down on the sofa with a tennis magazine on his face.

_'What a change. It's not his 'newspaper'. I wonder what Mom did to those porn magazines?'_ He thought as he sat on the couch.

"Eh? That Seishounen's growing up? In what way? He doesn't seem to have gotten taller 'cause he's still smaller than you. He also hasn't brought home a girl so he hasn't achieved the age where I'll be proud of him." Nanjiroh said without lifting the tennis magazine from his face.

"What if I tell you that he's hiding a girl somewhere in the house?" Ryoga said with a smirk. This finally caught Nanjiroh's attention who lifted the magazine to look at his eldest son.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly like I said. Chibisuke's hiding a girl in the house. I saw a different pair of shoes next to his rubbershoes."

"Heh... That's a new one. So, he's really a human after all. I thought that he was a tennis machine. Say, Shounen. Why don't we play a game with Seishounen?"

"I like that idea, Oyaji. Count me in."

* * *

><p>"A-Are you alright, Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno whispered while looking at the Prince with the cat on her lap.<p>

"Betsuni."

"S-Sorry for bringing you trouble. I-If I wasn't here in the first place... you won't be troubled. I'm sorry." Sakuno said as she looked at her lap.

"Mada mada dane." Ryoma replied without looking at her and standing up once again.

"E-Eh?"

"Just stay here, Ryuzaki. Karupin, if Oyaji or Aniki enters my room, scratch them." Ryoma said and the cat looked at him before meowing in agreement. Ryoma smirked before going out of the room.

Sakuno sighed and looked at the cat on her lap. It was rubbing its head on her chest. She giggled then Karupin jumped down and searched Ryoma's bag.

"K-Karupin-chan, Ry-Ryoma-kun might get angry if you'll do that." Sakuno said as she looked at the cat who ignored her. Then, Karupin came out of the bag while biting a toy which resembled a dog's tail and approached Sakuno before putting the toy down in front of her.

"Wh-What am I going to do?"

"Meow."

"Do you want to play?"

"Meow."

Sakuno took the toy and moved it back and forth in front of Karupin. The cat's eyes followed its movement before its tail swished. Karupin started playing tag with the toy while Sakuno was giggling lightly.

"Kaa-san, do you have any snacks?" Ryoma asked as he entered the dining room and saw his father sitting on a chair.

"Oi, Seishounen. Where's your guest?"

"None of your business and you're not Kaa-san."

"Che. You're really not cute. Not one bit."

"Here it is, Ryoma. Be careful with it." Rinko said as she showed the tray to Ryoma. The Prince opened the fridge in search of his Ponta.

Meanwhile, Ryoga took this oppurtunity to run to the second floor from the back door. He held the door knob and opened it. He peeked inside and was about to step in when Karupin jumped on him and scratched him on the face.

"AH!" Ryoga fell on the floor with Karupin on top of him. He had his arms stretched to keep the cat in his hands to stop from scratching him further.

Ryoma came while holding the tray and looked at his brother on the floor.

"Baka. That's what you get from trespassing."

"Stop this cat, Chibisuke!"

"Yada."

"I already know that there's someone in your room and that person is a girl!" Ryoga shouted which made Ryoma's left eyebrow twitch.

"No one's in there."

"There is! An auburn-haired girl with long twin braids!"

"EH! An auburn-haired beauty!" Nanjiroh came running and looked at his sons.

"Get away from my room." Ryoma warned as he glared at the two.

"Tell us who the girl is, Seishounen."

"There's no girl there so stop bugging me."

"Wait a minute. Auburn-haired... ? Long twin braids... ? Why does that sound... Oh!" Nanjiroh grinned and looked at Ryoma who clutched the door knob behind his back.

"It's Ryuzaki-chan, isn't it! That old-hag's grand-daughter!"

"Karupin, scratch Oyaji." Ryoma ordered and the cat followed. It swiftly jumped to Nanjiroh who also fell down with scratches on his face.

"You're merciless, Chibisuke." Ryoga commented while his face was stinging a lot. Karupin sure do know how to scratch someone.

"Itta! It hurts you ball of fluffy fur! Stop it! ITTAI!"

"Serves you two right. Get away from my room." Ryoma opened the door but both Ryoga and Nanjiroh stopped Ryoma from closing the door by barging in forcefully. Karupin fell on all-fours as the three Echizens fell to the floor inside Ryoma's room. The food tray however, was caught by Sakuno without any spill who stood up in surprise.

"Get... off me." Ryoma said while he was being cushioned on by Ryoga and Nanjiroh.

"Itte... That really hurts... Ah! A girl!" Ryoga exclaimed as he saw Sakuno holding the tray with both hands. Then, Nanjiroh opened his eyes and also looked at the blushing girl.

"Ryuzaki-chan! I knew it was you!" Nanjiroh quickly got off Ryoma and hugged Sakuno who blushed at the contact. Ryoma pushed Ryoga off him and pulled Nanjiroh off Sakuno by yanking his collar.

"Hands off." He warned in a low tone. That voice of his got Ryoga and Nanjiroh's attentions shifted to him. Sakuno was just blushing madly while looking down.

"My, my. Someone's overprotective of somebody." Nanjiroh teased with a smile.

"Chibisuke's growing up. I can't believe it. Our Chibisuke is growing up, Oyaji. Chibisuke's a human!" Ryoga wiped his imaginary tears with a handkerchief as he continued with his acting.

"I'm so proud of this Seishounen. He's finally a man! He finally reached the age where I'll be proud of him as my youngest son! Thank you, Kami-sama!" Nanjiroh said while acting.

"Beautiful young lady, I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Chibisuke's Aniki, Echizen Ryoga. I'm twenty-one years old and a great tennis player. I have a beautiful girlfriend who's currently staying with her older siblings and she's Hanako Akira. Even though Chibisuke and I have the same looks, don't forget that I'll always be more handsome because I was born first." Ryoga said as he placed both of his hands on Sakuno's shoulders.

"R-Ryuzaki Sa-Sakuno desu. Pleased to meet you." Sakuno said as she bowed. She noticed that Ryoma was glaring daggers at Ryoga for some reason she doesn't know of.

"Five seconds over. Hands off." Ryoma removed Ryoga's hands from Sakuno's shoulders and stood in front of the girl to put some distance between her and his brother.

"Being possessive plus Chibisuke equals black-eye. There's no way that I'd risk my handsome face to touch Sakuno-chan. Akira would also beat the hell out of me if that happens." Ryoga said as he remembered his girlfriend, Hanako Akira.

_'Sakuno-chan? Since when did I allow this stupid brother of mine to call Ryuzaki by her first name? Nobody calls Ryuzaki by her first name. Especially not Aniki and Oyaji.'_ Ryoma thought while clenching his fists.

"Are you her personal bodyguard?" Nanjiroh asked.

"Manager?" Ryoga said.

"Personal photographer?"

"Coach?"

"Director?"

"Principal?"

"Teacher?"

"Father?"

"Mother?"

"Shut up." Ryoma glared at the two older men who were grinning from ear to ear and were taking interest in Ryoma's irritation.

"There's no use hiding Sakuno-san in your room, Ryoma. Nanjiroh and Ryoga already found out. Sakuno-san, I'm sorry but please bear with the childish attitudes of my husband and Ryoga." Rinko said while standing outside the room holding Karupin. Ryoma sighed and carried the tray from Sakuno.

"It-It's alright, R-Rinko-san. I d-don't mind." Sakuno said while waving her hands from side to side.

"Let's go. You two, out of my room. Now." Ryoma said as he looked at Nanjiroh and Ryoga.

"Hai, hai."

"How mean, Seishounen."

"Itte... My face hurts." Ryoga said as he tried to touch his stinging cheek. Karupin probably has something against him and Nanjiroh from receiving deep scratches.

'Was that because of the grilled fish that I ate last time?' He thought.

"Rinko, can you cure us? That ball of fluff scratched the heck out of us." Nanjiroh said.

"Hmm. Well, if you'll do all the household chores for a month as well as the garden and the groceries then, sure. I'll tend to your wounds." Rinko said with a smile.

"No way!"

"Very well then, suit youselves. Oh, I forgot to mention that I'll also be throwing the trash in our room." Rinko said with a slightly creepy smile that sent chills down Nanjiroh's spine. He knew very well that the trash she was referring to was his 'treasure'.

"W-Wait! Fine, I'll do all those chores." Nanjiroh grudgingly grumbled and Rinko nodded.

"Thank you, Anata."

Both Nanjiroh and Ryoga followed Rinko downstairs. Sakuno and Ryoma also went down and went to the tatami room. They sat next to each other and Ryoma started to eat the sandwiches that Rinko made. Sakuno was playing with the hem of her skirt while looking down.

"Ne, ne. Sakuno-chan. Do you play tennis?" Ryoga asked while looking at the girl. Rinko started tending to Nanjiroh's scratches and after a while, worked on Ryoga's scratches.

"H-Hai. I'm a member of the tennis club in S-Seigaku High." Sakuno shlyly answered. Ryoma was glaring at Ryoga, though. His older brother called Sakuno by her first name again.

"Great! Let's play. I want to play a practice match with you!" Ryoga said as he stood up after Rinko finished curing his wounds.

"E-Eh?"

"Oyaji, we'll use the tennis court at the temple, okay? Wait... what racket is she going to use?"

Without any word, Ryoma got up and went to his room. After a while, he came back while holding his red racket which he handed to Sakuno.

"Use it and beat my stupid brother."

"B-But I can't do it, Ryoma-kun! Y-You know how bad I am in tennis!" Sakuno protested.

"Don't worry, Sakuno-chan. I'll go easy on you." Ryoga said with a smile while holding his own racket.

"B-But... but... I really can't do it."

"Rest assured, Sakuno-chan. I'm not like Chibisuke who'll give you a hard time when playing."

"You won three games from me when it was raining. Make my stupid brother eat some tennis ball." Ryoma said as Sakuno sighed and held the racket.

"Okay."

"Well, then. Eat some of the sandwiches, Ryuzaki-chan. Then, the match will start when we reach the temple." Nanjiroh said.

"Hai."

Sakuno ate the sandwiches on her plate while thinking as to what to do with the practice match against Ryoga. Ryoma told her that she improved but it doesn't meant that she can play like that against Ryoga. She also doesn't know as to what she's going to do if Ryoga uses any special move of his.

"Ne, Sakuno-chan. Are you sure you can play using Chibisuke's racket? It's heavier compared to a girl's racket." Ryoga commented while eating his omelette.

"I-It's alright with me." Sakuno answered. She can't tell them that Ryoma gave her his other racket, can she? She's sure that if ever she accidentally spill that out, Ryoma would be very irritated with what Ryoga and Nanjiroh would end up saying to him.

"Hmm... why is it that you're alright with using such a heavy racket? Does the girl's tennis team use the men's rackets while playing?"

"I don't know. I didn't hear that from the old hag. She never said anything about it." Nanjiroh said while reading his 'newspaper'.

"A-Ano... I-I borrowed my c-cousin's racket, th-that's why it's a-alright with me... H-He let me borrow his r-racket from time t-to time." Sakuno lied. She didn't know where that lie came from and if it's believable or not. She sipped her Ponta and looked down.

_'Ryuzaki stutters more than the usual when she's lying, huh?'_ Ryoma thought while sipping his Ponta.

"Hmmm... I see." Ryoga said while nodding.

_'I'm sure there's more to it than that.'_ He thought.

"That's nice of your cousin." Nanjiroh commented.

_'Lie.'_ He thought as he looked at Ryoga.

"Let's play, Sakuno-chan! Let's play!" Ryoga said enthusiastically and pulled Sakuno to stand then out of the house. Ryoma got up too and followed as well as Nanjiroh.

When they reached the place, Sakuno gasped as she looked at the tennis court beside the temple's bell. Ryoga was patting his shoulder lightly by his racket. Ryoma was sitting on the temple's floor while Nanjiroh had a proud look on his face.

"Welcome to our temple, Ryuzaki-chan. You can play tennis here all you want. That court was made by yours truly, of course."

"H-Hai."

"Come on, Ryuzaki-chan. Let's play a practice match." Ryoga positioned himself on the court.

Sakuno glanced at Ryoma who was sitting. The tennis prodigy just pointed to the court and Sakuno took it as the cue to stand on the other side of the court with her stance ready.

_'Alright, Ryuzaki Sakuno. Time to show Ryoma-kun what you've got. He believes in you and just like what Rinko-san said, I have to believe in my self and my tennis.'_ Sakuno thought as she looked at Ryoga with courage evident in her brown eyes. Nanjiroh just smirked at the resemblance of someone he knows whenever that guy's facing a strong opponent.

_'Just like Seishounen.'_ He thought.

"One-set practice match. Ryoga to serve."

Ryoga threw the ball in the air and served it with some added power. Sakuno returned it without any problem. For her, Ryoma's Twist Serve is more troublesome.

Ryoga smirked and returned the ball towards Sakuno who also returned it. That one serve made a thirteen-shot rally between the two. The rally only broke when Sakuno was finally unable to return the ball.

"15 love." Nanjiroh said.

"Oops. Sorry, Sakuno-chan. I was getting a bit serious." Ryoga apologized while looking at the girl.

_'Man, I wasn't planning on getting a little serious on this match against Sakuno-chan. I guess that I really shouldn't have judged a book by its cover. She's stronger than she looks.'_ He thought.

"I-It's alright, Ryoga-san. Please get serious."

"Are you sure?"

"Hai."

"Chibisuke, what do you think?" Ryoga said while looking at Ryoma who was blankly staring at him. Then, Ryoma shrugged and Ryoga took that as a permission.

_'Better not hurt Sakuno-chan. Otherwise, I'll be as good as dead with Chibisuke's anger.'_

"Be prepared, Sakuno-chan. I'll be serious just like what you want." Ryoga said as he gripped the tennis ball.

* * *

><p><strong>Ohhhh, Sakuno's against Ryoga. Hmm... I wonder what she'll do? Hehehe. I really don't know any of Ryoga's moves so I'll probably skip naming them.<strong>

**Until next time! ^_^**


	5. Sakuno's Potential and Sumire's News

**Here's the awaited match between Sakuno and Ryoma. You can complain if it's crappy. I wouldn't mind because I was complaining with myself hehehe. Feel free to voice your complains if you have any regarding this chapter.**

**Oh, before you guys start reading. May I know who wants to do some role-playing here? I'm currently looking for people who would like to role-play as the girls here in Return of the Prince. I already have the pictures of the girls, excluding Sakuno, Tomoka, Ann and Tezuka's girlfriend.**

**If any of you wants to role-play as the remaining Regulars' girlfriends as well as the girlfriends of the other teams such as Hyoutei, etc., please PM me so we can talk about the role-play.**

**On with the story! ^_^**

* * *

><p><strong>Sakuno's Potential and Sumire's News<strong>

"Be prepared, Sakuno-chan. I'll be serious just like what you want." Ryoga said as he gripped the tennis ball. He threw it upwards and served. Sakuno felt that she had seen that move before. Then, when she heard the impact of the ball connecting with the racket as well as the ball quickly hitting her side of the court for an ace, she remembered where she had seen the serve.

"O-Ootori-san's... Neo Scud Serve." She muttered while Ryoga was grinning.

"That's right. Ootori Choutarou-kun's Neo Serve. I happened to see that move of his in a match so I kinda tried it. It was fast, huh?"

"30 love. Oi, Shounen. Be gentle. Ryuzaki-chan's a girl." Nanjiroh said while fanning himself.

"Hai, hai." Ryoga made the ball bounce thrice before hitting it with Neo Serve again. This time, Sakuno ran to where the ball landed but the force was powerful that it sent Ryoma's racket flying. Sakuno picked up the racket and played with its handle by tightening her grip on it then loosening it.

_'I need to come up with a way to return it. It's powerful so I have to counter it with power also. Then, I'll have to think of something to counter its speed.'_ She thought as she smiled and readied her stance.

_'She's not planning on hitting it directly, is she?'_ Ryoga thought as he served with Neo Serve again. Sakuno gripped the handle with both hands, ran to the ball and hit it with a light scream. She was able to return it successfully. Because Ryoga was surprised of the power she used, he wasn't able to return the ball.

"30- 15." Nanjiroh said while smiling.

"Cool! You're powerful, Sakuno-chan! It was an amazing return!"

"Th-Thank you."

Ryoga served again and Sakuno was able to return it by dashing to the net. Ryoga lobbed the ball and Sakuno used a smash to the return the ball. Ryoga used a passing shot to return it even before Sakuno was able to react.

"40- 15."

After the next serve, the ball returns became another long rally between the two. No matter where Ryoga hit the ball, Sakuno always ran to the spot to return the ball. During their 15th ball rally, Ryoga started using a move he learned from Nanjiroh and Tezuka's move. the Tezuka Zone. That was when Sakuno started losing points.

The two teens continued playing until Ryoga was leading with the scores being 4-2. Nanjiroh was having a nice view of the game while Ryoma was thinking.

_'Ano... Ryoma-kun. Is... Is it alright if... y-you'll tell me w-when I should use the Sp-Split step?' He remembered Sakuno asking when they were talking in the Changing Room when he came back._

_'Why?' He asked back._

_'Be-Because I... I don't know when I sh-should use it. Si-Since it's y-your move... yo-you'll k-know the r-right time to u-use it. Pl-Please, R-Ryoma-kun.' Sakuno pleaded. Ryoma inwardly sighed._

_'When I point at your feet, use it.' He ordered bluntly._

_'M-My feet?'_

_'That's what you use for Split Step so it's natural I'll point that.' He explained._

_'Hai. Thank you, Ryoma-kun.'_

As he watched Sakuno try to win games from Ryoga, he thought that she needed someone who'd teach her tennis properly. He then started to wonder as to why Sakuno is still just a member and not a Regular in the Women's Team. As from what he could see, she improved a lot compared to the girl whose hips were wobbly whom she was before.

"Deuce." Nanjiroh announced which snapped Ryoma out of his reverie. When he looked at the court, he saw Sakuno panting a bit. The girl was looking at him so he decided to do something. He pointed at her feet and saw her smile in return. Sakuno started jumping a bit on her place while looking at Ryoga and waiting for him to serve. Nanjiroh just chuckled.

_'Split Step, huh? She really likes that young brat of a boy.'_

Ryoga smirked while making the ball bounce.

"So you know how to use Split Step? Great. Show us then." Ryoga served again. He added more power and increased the speed of his serve. Sakuno hopped to the place where the ball landed and did a two-handed return. The ball returns became another set of rally. Sakuno kept on jumping here and there. And as the game continued, her Split-Step progressed to Ryoma's one-foot Split Step. It was a 4- 4 tie right now.

_'What should I do? I don't know how I can return Ryoga-san's shots. I'm already tired. If Ryoma-kun's the one who's playing, what's he going to do?'_ Sakuno thought as she screamed and returned the ball with a different shot of her own. She saw a stunned Ryoga standing on his side of the court while the ball she returned was circling around his feet.

"Wh-What happened?" She asked. She then looked at Nanjiroh whose mouth was agape and Ryoma who was looking at her.

"Echizen-san... What happened?"

"That ball... what was that?" Ryoga said while looking at the still circling ball around his feet. He picked up the ball when it stopped spinning then looked at Sakuno.

"Echizen-san, what happened?" Sakuno asked. Nanjiroh placed his hand inside his monk robes and looked at Sakuno.

"You used a vertical gyro spin on the ball by making it hit the racket's face diagonally. Because of the diagonal hit, the ball travels on the racket's face on the time of the impact. Since the ball comes from a high return, the vertical gyro spin circles the opponent, rendering him immobile on his place before the ball hits the ground and circles your opponent's feet. In other words, you were amazing, Ryuzaki-chan." Nanjiroh smiled while Sakuno was looking at the racket.

"I... I was able to do that?"

"Of course! I knew you have skills for tennis, Sakuno-chan. Can you do that again? I want to return it!" Ryoga said.

"I-I'll try."

"Alright. The match resumes. Advantage, Ryuzaki-chan." Nanjiroh walked near Ryoma and sat beside him. Ryoma had a hand cupping his chin while watching the match intently which Nanjiroh noticed.

"You know, Seishounen. Ryuzaki-chan needs a coach for herself. She's skilled but she doesn't know it. By having someone who'll teach her the correct things in tennis, she'd be able to unleash her full potential." Nanjiroh commented while looking at Ryoga who was once again stunned to his place with the ball circling around his feet.

"Great! Just a little more and I'll be able to return it!" Ryoga said as he jumped.

"Game, Ryuzaki-chan. 4 games to 5. Change court." Nanjiroh called.

Ryoga and Sakuno exchanged places on the court and Sakuno served. By instinct, she bent her knees then jumped to serve the ball when the moment was right. She landed on her left feet and the ball crossed the net. It bounced upwards, almost hitting Ryoga on the face if he didn't step back to return it.

"Twist Serve?" Ryoma mumbled while Nanjiroh chuckled.

"Ryuzaki-chan really has a high potential. To be able to do both Split Step and Twist Serve, she needed to train a lot. Seishounen, replace me as the umpire. I have an errand to do." Nanjiroh stood up without listening to Ryoma's refusal.

"Chibisuke, where's Oyaji going?" Ryoga asked while having another rally with Sakuno.

"To India."

"What?" Because of Ryoma's answer, Ryoga missed the ball to return.

"15- 30." Ryoma said in a boring tone.

"You did that on purpose, Chibisuke! No fair!" Ryoga protested.

"I don't know where he's going so just shut up and play."

"You, shorty and mean brother of mine, are really cold." Ryoga commented.

The game continued while Nanjiroh made his way back home. He saw Rinko reading a novel who looked at him.

"Oh, Anata. How's the match?"

"It's alright. Ryuzaki-chan's fighting Ryoga with her all. She was also able to do both Ryoma's Twist Serve and Split Step."

"Really? That's amazing but... I wonder why she is still just a member in their team? If she was able to do Ryoma's moves, she surely have skills."

"I'm not the one who's going to answer that. By the way, do you have the number of Seishounen's team captain?"

"Tezuka-kun? I think Ryoma has his number stored in his phone."

"Where's that kid's phone?"

"In his room on the bed's headrest next to the two tennis balls. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to have a little chit-chat with the Captain."

Nanjiroh entered Ryoma's room and found the Prince's phone. He searched the phonebook and saw Tezuka's number labeled 'Bucho'. He carried the phone downstairs and held the telephone. He dialed Tezuka's number while scanning the phonebook on Ryoma's cellphone and found something interesting. He saw only two registered numbers of females. One is Rinko's while the other is Sakuno's.

_'Mada mada dana, Ryoma.'_ He thought as Tezuka answered.

_-Hello?-_

"Are you Ryoma's Team Captain in Seigaku High?"

_-Yes, I am. May I ask who's calling?-_

"Echizen Nanjiroh, Ryoma's father."

_-Mr. Echizen, what can I do for you?-_

"I'm sure you have heard about the mixed team from your coach."

_-Yes. She told me about it.-_

"That's good. Well, I called because I have a recommendation to make. The girl I had in mind will be arriving with my son on your practice this Monday."

_-I understand.-_

"That's all I have to say. Thanks for the time, Tezuka-kun."

_-It's alright.-_

Nanjiroh placed the receiver down and he saw Rinko looking at him.

"Are you planning on..."

"Yeah. I'm sure that Ryoma wouldn't mind."

"He probably won't but you two might end up playing a match again because you decided without asking for his comment." Rinko said and Nanjiroh chuckled.

"It's about time for that boy to grow up."

"Right now, he's in the stage of growing up."

* * *

><p>"Game and match won by Aniki, 7 games to 6." Ryoma said.<p>

"That was really amazing, Sakuno-chan. I didn't expect for you to be so strong especially that swirling move of yours. In the end, I wasn't able to return that." Ryoga sighed and shook his head.

"Th-Thank you for the t-time, Ryoga-san. I'm glad t-to have been a-able to play with you."

"That's alright. Thanks for the time too. Chibisuke, you can have Sakuno-chan now. I'm sure that you're planning to beat me anytime soon because I stole almost an hour and thirty minutes from your time with Sakuno-chan."

"Shut up." Ryoma threw an orange to Ryoga who caught it with his racket. The orange was left there by Nanjiroh.

"Thanks." Ryoga bit the orange and Sakuno smiled.

"Ryuzaki, let's go." Ryoma said as he stood up and started walking away.

"W-Wait up, Ryoma-kun- ah!" Sakuno tripped down the ground and Ryoga sweatdropped.

"Sakuno-chan, are you alright?" Ryoga said as he crouched down next to Sakuno. He didn't know that Sakuno was really a klutz because she was different on the court. Ryoma turned to look at them and shook his head.

"Klutz." He muttered under his breath.

"Itte." Sakuno looked at her knees and saw a long scratch on her right knee which is already bleeding.

"Ah! A wound! Can you stand?" Ryoga said.

"I'm okay." Sakuno pushed herself to stand up but ended up wobbling. Ryoga placed both his hands on Sakuno's shoulders as Ryoma approached them. The younger cat-eyed boy took his handkerchief from his pocket then tied it around Sakuno's wound. Then, he knelt down on the ground while his back was facing the girl.

"Hop on." He ordered.

"E-Eh? It-It's alright, Ryoma-kun. I-I can walk o-on my own."

"Aniki."

"Got it." Ryoga placed both of Sakuno's arms around Ryoma's neck and helped her get on the Prince's back even though the girl was protesting. Ryoma placed his hands behind Sakuno's knees and stood up. Ryoga took Ryoma's racket from Sakuno's hand as they continued walking with Sakuno on Ryoma's back.

"R-Ryoma-kun, I-I can w-walk on m-my own." Sakuno said as she tried to push herself off Ryoma's back but the lad had a steel grip on her which prevents her from getting off. Ryoma's grip was tight but at the same time gentle.

"Stay put." He said.

"Chibisuke's right, Sakuno-chan. He's the one who caused you your wound. Let him atone for it." Ryoga said as he chuckled.

"Shut up, baka Aniki."

"You know, I really don't like it when someone tells me to shut up. So, Sakuno-chan. What are you going to call that swirling return of yours? It's pretty powerful and amazing."

"I-I still don't know."

"Sakura No Mai." Ryoma said.

"Dance of the Cherryblossom? That's cool, Chibisuke! Sakura No Mai, that sounds great! Sakuno-chan, call that move of yours Sakura No Mai, okay?"

"H-Hai. Thank you, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno whispered as she snuggled on Ryoma's nape and closed her eyes. The exhaustion from the game was finally taking its toll on her body.

"Hn."

_'Just sleep, Ryuzaki.'_ He thought.

"Chibisuke, for the first time in your life, you let a girl get so near you. She's considered someone important, huh?" Ryoga commented to which Ryoma just remained silent at. He saw that Sakuno was already fast asleep so it's safe to talk.

"Be sure to mark your territory on her and get a clue, will you? When you're as dense as a rock, I can't help but wonder on where on earth you got that from. Then again, now that you're fifteen, I guess that changes will happen soon. Sakuno-chan's very different from all the other girls. She's not the type who'll force herself and her desire to someone because she's not greedy. I think... she's the most selfless and sacrificing person I know but she's quite timid and shy. She'd get in trouble with that." Ryoga said and Ryoma just stayed quiet.

_'Like I don't know about that.'_ He thought.

"Chibisuke, you have to protect Sakuno-chan. Because she's timid and shy, people might take advantage of her. She's also a klutz, huh? That might give her more trouble. What if she accidentally trip on the stairs? Or if she fall down the street while crossing? She needs someone who'll take care of her but won't treat her as someone who's as fragile as glass. Maybe someone who's arrogant but caring on the inside. Hmm, better yet, someone like you."

Ryoma's mind began functioning when he heard Ryoga's words and his heartbeat increased. Some were pointing directly to things he wanted to do whenever he's with Sakuno. Of all people, he knows how clumsy Sakuno can be and how often bad luck follows her. He constantly worries for her safety even though he doesn't show it. That's the reason why he'd been saving her from all those guys who wanted to hurt her without being ordered to do so.

"What do you say, Chibisuke? Do you want to be her Prince?" Ryoga asked which made Ryoma smirk.

"I've always been her Prince, Aniki. No one's going to take that role except me."

"Good. That's probably the best decision you ever made. Be sure to mature into a man who she deserves before someone takes your place as her Prince. She's an easy girl to like, Chibisuke. In a few days or so, she might earn herself suitors and admirers. I can't even believe that you haven't asked her out yet. If only I was on the same age as you guys and still single, I would've asked her out already." Ryoga said as he chuckled.

"I'll tell your girlfriend you said that."

"Akira would understand. Besides, I'll still choose Akira between her and Sakuno-chan. Sakuno-chan's more of a sister than a girlfriend. But... I wonder what the guys in your school thinks of her?"

_'Che. No one can approach Ryuzaki within 10 feet. I'll make sure that everyone's going to follow that rule.'_ Ryoma thought as Sakuno tightened her hold on him.

"Ryoma-kun..." Sakuno whispered and Ryoma allowed a small smile to appear on his features.

_'Yeah. I'll always be her Prince even if she's the world's clumsiest girl.'_

A few minutes later, the two Echizens reached the house. Rinko opened the door for them and gasped when she saw Sakuno sleeping on Ryoma's back.

"What happened to Sakuno-san?"

"I told you she's a klutz, Kaa-san. She tripped and wounded herself at the temple." Ryoma explained as he kicked off his shoes without putting Sakuno down.

"She fell asleep after the game and she was a difficult girl to beat, Kaa-san. We rallied and tied a lot and I won with our scores being 7 to 6. She's fit to be a Regular in their team." Ryoga said as he took his shoes off and closed the door.

"The thing is, Sakuno-san isn't a Regular." Rinko said as she led Ryoma and Ryoga to the living room where Ryoma laid Sakuno on the sofa.

"Kaa-san, where's the first aid kit?" Ryoma asked.

"In the cabinet at the bathroom."

Ryoma went to the bathroom and looked for the kit. Rinko pushed away Sakuno's bangs and smiled.

"She played hard, didn't she?"

"She did. I really can't believe that Sakuno-chan isn't a Regular yet with her skills. Something's fishy about that." Ryoga said as he sat on the couch while the rackets were leaning on the table.

"Nanjiroh and I think so too but what can we do? We can't enter the school premises when there's no meeting."

"Why do you need to enter the place when Chibisuke's there, Kaa-san? He'd get the job done fast. He said he's Sakuno-chan's Prince, right Chibisuke?" Ryoga glanced to the back and earned himself a tennis ball in his mouth which Ryoma placed.

"Shut up." Ryoma knelt beside the sofa and took his handkerchief from being tied around Sakuno's wounded knee. He took all he needed from the first aid kit while Ryoga took the ball out of his mouth.

"Geez, I was just saying the truth."

"Just shut up, Aniki." Ryoma finished bandaging Sakuno's wound and he returned the kit in the bathroom and carried Sakuno in bridal style.

"I don't like to when people tell me to shut up." Ryoga retorted.

"Where are you going, Ryoma?" Rinko asked.

"Upstairs." Ryoma left the living room and went to his room. He laid Sakuno on his bed and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.

The telephone downstairs rang and Rinko picked up the receiver to answer the call.

"Hello? Echizen Residences."

_-Rinko-san, it's me, Sumire.-_

"Oh, Ryuzaki-sensei. How are you?"

_-I'm alright. By the way, is Sakuno with you?-_

"She's asleep in Ryoma's room."

_-I see. Is it alright if she'll stay with you guys for a month?-_

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><p><strong>Done!<strong>

**So, please review about this chappy and contact me if you guys want to take part as the role-players of Return of the Prince. Thank you. ^_^**


	6. Sakuno, Ryoma and Ryoga

**Okay, as a thank you gift to all those who read and gave their comments, I'll be uploading three chapters tonight! As to what I remember from the chapters I made, the last one is a cliff-hanger! Hehehe, to those who don't like cliffies, try to read it please! It's about someone cute in the Prince of Tennis! ^_^**

**Anyways, here's Chapter 6! Please leave a review if it's alright.**

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><p><strong>Sakuno's Past, Ryoma's Demand &amp; Ryoga's Words<strong>

_-I see. Is it alright if she'll stay with you guys for a month?-_

"A month!" Rinko gasped.

_-Yeah, if it's alright. I have a tennis convention in Osaka which lasts for a month and I'm afraid to leave Sakuno alone for a whole month. She's really clumsy so I'm worried that she might hurt herself.-_

"I understand. It's alright, Ryuzaki-sensei. We'd love to spend a month with Sakuno-san. Ryoga here is nodding his head a lot." Rinko said as she giggled while Ryoga was really nodding his head.

_-Really? Thanks a lot, Rinko-san.-_

"You're welcome."

_-Well then, goodbye.-_

"Bye. Take care." Rinko placed the receiver down and Ryoga shot his fist to the air.

"Cool! I'll have a little sister!"

"Ryoma would be happy about this, don't you think so?" Rinko smiled and Ryoma grinned.

"I'll play as a match maker. Chi~bi~suke~" Ryoga sang while running to Ryoma's room and Rinko giggled. Ryoga knocked on the door and Ryoma opened it.

"What?"

"You'd be happy with the news Kaa-san received just now. Sakuno-chan would be staying with us for a month!"

"What? What about Coach?"

"She's going to Osaka for a tennis convention. It's going to last for a month so she decided to leave Sakuno-chan with us."

"Hn."

"Hn? Just a 'hn'? I thought you're going to be all jumpy because of the news."

"I'm not a frog to jump."

"Yeah. You're a cat. So, anyways. Since you probably won't let Sakuno-chan sleep in any other room except yours, take care of her and let her sleep on your bed, okay?"

"Whatever." Ryoma closed the door while Ryoga was chuckling. Ryoma sat on the floor and looked at Sakuno while his head was on his arms on the bed. It was the first time that he enjoyed watching a girl sleep.

Sakuno's face was really gentle. He never knew that the girl's face could be more gentle than when she's awake but then again, he'd prefer an awake Sakuno than an asleep one. Somehow, he finds the blush on her face whenever they were talking cute and the way the girl's eyes would shine whenever he responded to whatever it is that they're talking about. It stirs something warm within his chest.

"M-Mom... Dad..." Sakuno mumbled while stirring on the bed a few hours later. This alerted Ryoma so he looked at the girl and saw that she was having some kind of pain and tears were flowing from the corner of her closed eyes.

"Ryuzaki. Oi, Ryuzaki. Wake up." Ryoma said as he shook Sakuno on the shoulders. Sakuno didn't respond and continued stirring on the bed while mumbling the same things. Ryoma couldn't think of anything else to do so he sat on the bed and pulled Sakuno towards him for a hug. Sakuno unconsciously clutched the front of Ryoma's shirt while Ryoma tightened his hold on her.

_'Just when did I use my instinct instead of my head?'_ He thought while looking at Sakuno's face.

_'Just like what Inui-senpai said, this is illogical.'_

"Ryuzaki, wake up. Oi, Ryuzaki." He called and Sakuno finally opened her eyes and more tears flowed. Ryoma's eyebrow furrowed when he saw those tears. Sakuno looked at him and gasped.

"R-Ryoma-k-kun!"

"You had a bad dream." He said bluntly. He was very very irritated by the tears. Sakuno let go of Ryoma's shirt and wiped her tears.

"S-Sorry..."

"What is it about?" Ryoma asked while he still held her. Sakuno started to blush from the realization of the contact but that blush soon faded as she looked down. Ryoma knew that Sakuno was hesitating whether or not she's going to tell him her dream.

"I'll listen." The cat-eyed boy said in an irritated voice.

"I-It was... about my parents." Sakuno started with a sad tone of her voice which caught Ryoma's attention. After all, he rarely hears her sad tone because she's the cheerful kind.

"A-Actually I... I lost m-my parents when I w-was young. Mom d-died when I was four y-years old be-because of b-blood ailments. I f-forgot wh-what the n-name of the s-sickness was but s-she was coughing out blood a l-lot. T-Two years later... D-Dad died be-because of a c-car accident. I-It happened during m-my birthday. I-I didn't want to b-be a burden to G-Grandma that's why I s-studied everything that a g-girl should do from cl-cleaning the house to c-cooking. Still... I w-wasn't able to be o-of any help because I'm c-clumsy and I often carry bad luck... I-I'm just a burden to everyone."

"Stop saying that you're a burden when in fact, you're not. Don't think so low of yourself."

"B-But that the truth, Ry-Ryoma-kun. The first time w-we met, I gave you t-the wrong direction that you l-lost your match. Th-Then, you went to a-a tennis match against Sasabe-san a-and y-you got injured. I-I always give you trouble. I-I'm just a b-burd-"

"Shut up!" Ryoma snapped and Sakuno looked at him. Anger and pain were evident in his golden orbs. Sakuno flinched when Ryoma looked at her.

"You're not a burden to anyone so stop considering yourself as one. You gave me the wrong direction because you're directionally-challenged, that's it. If you'd just end up saying things like those to yourself, then just shut up." Ryoma let go of Sakuno and walked out of his room. When he closed the door, he saw Rinko who smiled sadly at him. He continued his way down and went out of the house to cool himself a bit. Karupin jumped on Ryoma's bed and snuggled to Sakuno.

"Did I say something wrong to him?"

"Ryoma just didn't want you to consider yourself a burden, Sakuno-san." Rinko said as she entered the room.

"B-But I really am just a burden." Sakuno said while Rinko sat on the edge of the bed beside her and held her hand.

"Did he say that you're a burden?"

"N-No..."

"Did you hear other people say you're one?"

"... No."

"See? You're the one who's thinking negatively of yourself. Even though Ryoma's emotionless, stoic, cold, reckless, anti-social and might at times be a jerk, he shows his concern for other people in his own absurd ways. He might have said words that could've hurt you but all he wanted was for you to be able to have faith in yourself. He wanted you to have self-confidence." Rinko said as she smiled while Sakuno looked down.

"I-I'm going to apologize to R-Ryoma-kun. Thank you, Rinko-san." Sakuno stood up and limped towards the door. Rinko tried to help her but Sakuno refused. Sakuno went down the stairs and looked at the floor. She saw that Ryoma's rubbershoes were gone so she thought that he left the house. She wore her own shoes and went out of the house in search of the Prince.

Sakuno limped while searching for Ryoma. Along the way, she heard someone call her so she looked around and saw Momoshiro and Eiji approaching her.

"Ryuzaki-chan, hoi hoi! Good afternoon to you."

"Eiji-senpai, it's actually evening already. It's 6PM." Momoshiro said after checking his wristwatch.

"Nya! Sorry about that. Anyways, why are you here alone, Ryuzaki-chan? Whoa! Why are you injured?" Eiji said as he pointed at Sakuno's bandaged leg.

"I-It's nothing, Kikumaru-senpai. H-Have you seen R-Ryoma-kun?"

"Ochibi?"

"We haven't seen him, Ryuzaki-chan. Why are you looking for him? Are you going to confess your feelings to him?" Momoshiro and Eiji grinned at this while Sakuno blushed and shook her head.

"N-No. I'm going to a-apologize."

-"Apologize?"- Her two hyper-active Senpais chorused.

"W-We had a l-little misunderstanding earlier. I-I want to apologize t-to him."

"Oh, so you have a lover's quarrel. I see, I see." Momoshiro said while nodding.

"I-It's not anything like that, Momoshiro-senpai."

"We'll help you look for him, Ryuzaki-chan. We just can't leave you alone like that. We'd be very irresponsible if we'll let you limp around like that, right Momo-chi?" Eiji patted Momoshiro's back who smiled.

"Yeah. We can't leave you like that, we just can't. We'll help you look for him."

"Just who are you going to look for?"

The three of them turned around to look at the source of that cold voice that they are very familiar with. Sakuno's eyes widened and she gasped.

"R-Ryoma-kun..."

Ryoma 'tsked' under his breath and approached Sakuno. They noticed that he was carrying two plastic bags of something from a shop.

"Stubborn. Let's go."

-"Wait a minute!"- Both Eiji and Momoshiro yanked Ryoma's collar then pulled the boy towards them and turned around so Sakuno won't be able to hear their ocnversation.

"What is it?" Ryoma asked in an irritated voice.

"You're really mean, Ochibi." Eiji said while poking Ryoma's cheek.

"You're going to walk Ryuzaki-chan home with that wound? Just how cold can you get?" Momoshiro said as he emphasized the words walk and wound.

"Why don't you carry Ryuzaki-chan home? Be a gentleman for once, Ochibi." Eiji said and Ryoma sighed before turning his back on the two.

"I was just about to do that." He mumbled which made Momoshiro and Eiji exchange confused looks that needed confirmation from the Prince.

"Was just about to..." Eiji started.

"Do that?" Momoshiro finished and they saw Ryoma hand the plastics to Sakuno and wordlessly carried her in bridal style which made Sakuno yelp.

"R-Ryoma-kun!"

"Che. You're really stubborn." Ryoma mumbled and Sakuno blushed. Momoshiro and Eiji both whistled after seeing what their Kouhai did. Ryoma looked over his shoulder and smirked at his whistling Senpais.

"We'll be going now, Senpai-tachi."

"Go on, Ochibi!"

"It's really good that you two are young! Good luck, Ryuzaki-chan and Echizen!"

Ryoma started walking while Sakuno was blushing a lot. She hugged the plastics and closed her eyes.

_'Mou! Ryoma-kun is going to be the end of me!'_ Sakuno thought.

"Ne, why did you leave the house?" Ryoma asked in his usual monotone voice.

"A-Ano... I-I was looking f-for you." Sakuno shyly answered as she looked at the plastics she was hugging.

"Hmm. Why?"

"Be-Because I wanted to a-apologize. I-I'm sorry, R-Ryoma-kun. I-I didn't mean to m-make you angry."

"Betsuni. I wasn't angry." Ryoma shrugged his shoulders which made Sakuno look at him.

"Th-Then, why did you leave?"

"I'm out of Ponta so I bought some."

"Y-You're not angry at me?"

Ryoma shrugged again and Sakuno blushed.

"S-Still, I'm sorry, R-Ryoma-kun. I-I'll try to build my c-confidence so one day, I won't say that I'm much of a b-burden."

"Hn."

"Ano, R-Ryoma-kun."

"Hm?"

"C-Can you please p-put me down? I-It's embarassing." Sakuno whined while Ryoma just smirked.

"Yada."

"E-Eh? Please, R-Ryoma-kun. Put me d-down."

"Not until you stop stuttering when saying my name."

"Eh?"

"Say my name without stuttering. Now." Ryoma commanded.

"R-Ryoma-kun."

"Again."

"R... R-Ryoma-k-kun." Sakuno stuttered and Ryoma scowled.

"Again."

"Ry-Ryoma-kun."

"Che. Why can't you do it without stuttering?"

"I-It's hard to do so."

"Why?"

"I-I don't know."

"Che. If you want to walk on your own again, do it. I won't put you down until I hear my name without your usual stutter."

"W-Why? I-It never bother you before." Sakuno asked curiously. True, she had called Ryoma for lots of times with stuttering so just what was with his demand of wanting to be called without the stutter? Didn't he know that it's her third nature after the honorifics? Without the need to say, her first nature is getting lost anywhere and everywhere.

"Because I want you to call me without stuttering."

_'It's irritating on how you can say other people's names without stuttering but you always do when saying mine.'_ Ryoma thought as he frowned a bit. Sakuno took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"... Ryoma-kun." She whispered and Ryoma stopped on his tracks before looking at the blushing girl.

"Louder."

"I-I can't!" Sakuno opened her eyes and looked up at the Prince only to notice how close their faces were. She blushed again and looked down. Their faces were just a few centimeters apart from one another.

"Your fault for whispering. Say it louder." Ryoma continued walking again.

"Ryoma-kun." Sakuno repeated.

"Hn. That's better."

"P-Please put me down."

"Hmm. Yada."

"EH?"

"You have a wound, Ryuzaki. Let that heal first."

"But you said that you'd put me down after I call you by your name!" Sakuno was surprised when he didn't stutter in that sentence. So, she can also speak normally at times, huh?

"Changed my mind." Ryoma said as he shrugged then smirked.

"Mou, that's not fair, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno said as she pouted and Ryoma fought the urge to chuckle. Both of them could be childish at times.

"Bear with it, Ryuzaki. It's how I am."

"I know. I-I don't have any trouble with h-how you are, Ryoma-kun."

"Hmm."

After a short while, they reached Ryoma's house. Ryoma let Sakuno stand after they entered the front door and took off their shoes. Rinko greeted them.

"Welcome home, you two."

"Sorry if we took long to return, Rinko-san."

"It's alright, Sakuno-san. You're just in time for dinner. Come on in."

The three of them went to the dining room and saw Ryoga and Nanjiroh sitting on the chairs while Nanako was pouring soup on the Japanese bowls. Rinko sat beside Nanjiroh while Sakuno and Ryoma sat next to each other. After a while, they started eating in silence which Ryoga broke.

"Oh, yeah. Sakuno-chan. Your Grandma called earlier and said that she's going to Osaka for a tennis convention that lasts for a month so she decided to let you stay here with us."

"EH!" Sakuno exclaimed.

"It's alright with us, Sakuno-san. Oba-sama and I have always wanted to be with another girl in the house. We'd very much appreciate your presence here." Nanako said with a smile.

"Nanako-san is right, Sakuno-san. Please agree to stay." Rinko pleaded.

"Don't worry about the room where you'll sleep. You'll be with that Seishounen beside you." Nanjiroh commented with a silly grin which made Ryoma glare at him.

"E-E-EH!" Sakuno blushed in beet red.

"We decided that that will be the best for you and for us as well because Chibisuke will beat me and Oyaji if you'll sleep in our room. Of course, I'm sure you wouldn't want to sleep with Kaa-san and Oyaji. Nanako-nee-san has to study for her tests and Akira will give me black-eyes if you'll sleep in my room. Chibisuke didn't disagree so you'll be staying with him." Ryoga explained.

"B-But..."

"Let it be, Ryuzaki. That's your only option here in this house." Ryoma said before drinking his Ponta. Sakuno pouted again and stared at her own can of Ponta.

"Let's go to your house to pick up your clothes. Seishounen, arrange your clothes in the closet because Ryuzaki-chan will be sharing that with you." Nanjiroh said.

"E-Eh? Y-You don't have to do that, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno said.

"Just go with Oyaji to get your clothes."

When they finished eating, Ryoma carried Sakuno to their black car despite the girl's protests. Nanjiroh sat on the driver's seat while Sakuno was with Nanako and Rinko at the back. When they left, Ryoma returned inside and Ryoga grinned at him.

"Gee, Chibisuke. You surely know how to trap someone to get what you want. You're a bit spoiled you know."

"Che. Like it concerns you." Ryoma said as he made his way to his room while Ryoga followed him.

"Of course it does. It's about your love life, Chibisuke. You're not the type of person who's interested in relationships since your world revovles around tennis and only tennis but now, it seems like... someone made her way to have a space in your world. Sakuno-chan is quite an enduring girl to have been able to faithfully wait for you after three years of playing tennis while in America and almost all corners of the world. You know, it's not everyday that I see you with a girl and a girl who can withstand that attitude of yours. Honestly speaking, I never even thought that you'll be able to show even a bit of concern towards a girl." The older Echizen leaned on the door while Ryoma was moving his things around the closet.

"Are you really my brother? Why does it seem like you're smarter?" Ryoma asked with an eyebrow arched at Ryoga who just shook his head.

"I'm talking based on experience and observation, Chibisuke. You know how I'm always wandering around to every place I want to go to just to place tennis, right? By doing that, I realized that it's true that I'm gaining new knowledge, skills and experience in tennis but I've been hurting the person who cares about me a lot. Whenever I'm heading off to somewhere to play, Akira's being hurt at the same time. Even though I've been telling her where I'll be going and even though I have contact with her, she's still suffering because she's worried about me most of the time if her friends won't be there to keep her company." Ryoga sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets while Ryoma was listening to each and every word of his brother while moving his folded clothes.

"Because of my adventurous attitude, I almost lost Akira when she accidentally fell off a cliff while on a school trip. She had been in comatose for two weeks. I blamed myself because of that. If only I had been with her before and during that trip, she wouldn't have encountered that accident. I've never felt so afraid in my whole life. I almost lost someone who's very special to me. When Akira woke up, I promised not to leave for more than a week and if I'll be going somewhere far, she's going to come with me." Ryoga looked at Ryoma who had his back facing him.

"You see, Chibisuke. It would be best for you to show Sakuno-chan what you really feel about her. What if the same thing happens to her? Or what if someone manages to make her change her heart and replace you? Don't only focus your world in tennis because you're already a Prince in that. Try to focus on Sakuno-chan too. She's a part of your world now. You unconsciously let her in so it won't do you any good if you'll lose her. What the heck are you going to do with those numerous trophies and medals of yours if you don't have someone to share your achievements with? Learn how to cherish Sakuno-chan, Chibisuke." With that, Ryoga left the room and Ryoma laid on his bed while tossing the second ball that Sakuno gave him.

_'What the heck are you going to do with those numerous trophies and medals of yours if you don't have someone to share your achievements with? Learn how to cherish Sakuno-chan, Chibisuke.'_ Those were the words that hit Ryoma hard. He looked at the ball in his hand and saw the words that Sakuno wrote on it.

"National #1..." He mumbled. He stood up when he heard the car park in their garage as well as Nanjiroh's loud voice. He placed the ball on the headrest beside the other one with his chibi drawing then he went down and saw Sakuno with three big bags.

"Ryoma-kun..."

Ryoma approached Sakuno and carried the bags from her then walked upstairs. Sakuno followed him to the room and Ryoma placed the bags on the floor near the closet. He took the folded futon under the bed and laid it on the floor then placed his other pillow and blanket on it before sitting down.

"I'll be sleeping here and you'll take the bed."

"Eh? Y-You can sleep on the b-bed, Ryoma-kun. I'll sleep on the futon."

"Just sleep on the bed." Ryoma said before lying down on the futon and pulling the blanket up to his shoulders before facing the wall.

"Oh, okay." Sakuno turned off the lights before walking to the bed and lying down on it.

"G-Goodnight, Ryoma-kun."

"Hn."


	7. Sakuno and Ryoma's Fangirls

Sakuno woke up early knowing that it's Monday. She sat on the bed and noticed the unfamiliar things in the room. First, she was on a blue bed. Her real bed was light pink in color and there was one teddy bear beside her pillow. Second, on the headrest of the bed were two tennis balls and an alarm clock. She looked at the tennis balls and lightly gasped. Those were the balls she gave Ryoma on two different events. Finally, Ryoma was asleep on the futon and beside him was his cat Karupin. After a few moments of sobering, Sakuno finally remembered that she was in Ryoma's house, in the Prince's room and on the boy's bed. She blushed and peeked at the sleeping Prince on the futon.

For the first time, she saw Ryoma without the usual stoic and arrogant expression on his face but what replaced that was a handsome boy's gentle features while oblivious to the rest of the world. His usually disheveled hair was in more mess from tossing and turning. Sakuno giggled while blushing.

_'Ryoma-kun's so cute.'_ She thought as she tip-toed to the door and quietly opened it. She went out of the room and went to the bathroom to take a bath. After getting dressed, she went to the dining room and saw Rinko coating some shrimp for breakfast.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Rinko-san."

"Oh, good morning, Sakuno-san. You're quite early." Rinko said as she smiled at the girl.

"Hai. Can I help?"

"Sure. You know, even though Ryoma grew up in America, he prefers Japanese food over Western food." Rinko said as she continued coating the shrimp while Sakuno was slicing the vegetables for the stir fry.

"Eh? R-Really?"

"Yes. In fact, when we were still in America when Ryoma and Ryoga were young, it was Ryoma who always asks me to cook Japanese foods while Ryoga sometimes asks me to cook Western food and this always ends up with the both of them quarelling over what to eat. As they grew up, the boys learned to adjust for each other so there are times that they eat Japanese or Western food at the same time."

"I-I see but... Ryoma-kun sometimes eats a lot of hamburgers and stuff with Momoshiro-senpai."

"That's one of the Western foods he likes aside from hotdog sandwiches and french fries. Other than that, he rarely eats any Western food. He even only eats one plate of steak in a week."

"Eh? But aren't steaks delicious?"

"They are delicious but that's just how Ryoma is. He isn't very picky when it comes to Japanese foods though. He likes Chawanmushi, fried fish and egg sandwiches. Oh, but I remember that Ryoma once asked me to make some strawberry shortcake for him." Rinko started frying the coated shrimp and Sakuno blushed she was cooking the stir fried veggies.

"Ryoma doesn't eat much sweets so I was really surprised when he asked me to make some shortcake. I think it was after a tennis practice three years ago. Say, were you the one who made the strawberry shortcake?" Rinko asked with a smile.

"H-Hai. Grandma taught me how to make some so I offered some to Ryoma-kun and he ate it."

"I see."

'No wonder Ryoma likes it.' Rinko thought as they finished cooking the breakfast. Rinko looked at Sakuno who was standing beside her.

"Ne, Sakuno-san. Is it alright if I'll give you a hair makeover?"

"E-Eh?"

"I'm sure that Ryoma told you that your hair's too long that's why it gets tangled with your racket, right?"

"H-Hai."

"Is it alright if I'll help you change your hairstyle for today? You see, I always wanted to comb a girl's hair but I was given two boys so I can't possibly put ribbons on their hairs. So, can I?"

"Of course." Sakuno smiled because it has been eleven years since a woman other than her Grandma helped her to change her hairstyle. A part of her still longs for the touch and affection a mother can give.

Sakuno followed Rinko to the tatami room and sat on the chair in front of a mirror. Rinko started to take out Sakuno's hair from the braids and combed her straight hair. For some reason, even though her hair is always tied in twin braids, it's still straight when it's down.

Ryoma went down a few minutes later after taking a bath and wearing his school uniform. He saw Nanjiroh lying down on the hallway in front of the garden while Ryoga was busy talking to someone using his phone at the garden. He looked around and saw that Rinko and Sakuno weren't there. Nanako probably already went to her school already. He sat down and started eating.

"Oi, Seishounen. I talked with your Captain last night. I told him that I recommended Sakuno-chan to be a part of your male tennis team in Seigaku High." Nanjiroh said with his eyes closed while still lying down on the hallway.

"Ryuzaki can't join. It's an all-male's team."

"Your Captain will probably announce the news about the new mixed men and women team in the new Kantou Competition which is going to be held on December. You should go with her later during your practice because your Captain will be expecting her."

"Hmm."

"There. It's done." Rinko said after placing the comb on the table and Sakuno looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was pinned up by a flower-shaped clip on the back of her head while her bangs as well as some astray hairstrands were framing her face. She looked like a doll with that hairstyle.

"Thank you so much, Rinko-san." Sakuno said as she stood up and bowed.

"It's alright, Sakuno-san. Go on, you can have breakfast now."

"Hai."

Sakuno went out of the room and saw Ryoma eating. The boy raised his head and looked at her. Ryoma was surprised of the sudden makeover on Sakuno. He was so used to seeing her in twin braids so it was really a surprise to see the girl in a different hairstyle. She was like a living porcelain doll.

"O-Ohayou gozaimasu, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno shyly said as she sat next to the Prince.

"Mom did that, right?" Ryoma asked.

"Hai. Rinko-san s-said that she w-wanted to change my hairstyle so she did."

"Hmm."

_'I have to thank Mom later.'_ He thought.

A few moments later, the both of them finished eating. They wore their shoes while Ryoma carried Sakuno's bag aside from his own.

"I-I can carry it, Ryoma-kun."

"I'll carry it. Mom, we'll be leaving." Ryoma said to his mother.

"Okay and Sakuno-san, be careful."

"Hai."

The two went out and Rinko was bothered by an unsettling feeling within her. She feels like something bad will happen to either Ryoma or Sakuno while they are in school.

_'Please be careful.'_ She thought.

Ryoma and Sakuno left the house while Sakuno was looking at Ryoma who was carrying her bag in his right hand.

"R-Ryoma-kun, I can carry my bag."

"Che. You stuttered again." Ryoma frowned a bit. Sakuno blushed and bowed her head.

"S-Sorry."

Ryoma used his left hand to hold Sakuno's hand and pull her to walk beside him.

"Ryoma-kun?"

"You're always walking behind me. Why?"

"I-I... It's because... we're on different worlds. I-I mean... even though we're the same age, same school and same class... it feels like we're worlds apart. E-Even though we b-both play tennis, th-there's still a lot of difference because... it feels like... even though I'm with Tomo-chan and the Senpais cheering for you... you c-can't hear my voice or our voices. I-It's different that way so I c-can't help but always w-walk behind you. B-Besides... y-you're called the Prince of Tennis a-and I'm still not even a Regular."

Ryoma took in Sakuno's words and sighed. He can't blame her for thinking that but it's not true that he can't hear her voice when she's cheering for him and their Senpais' voices when they're cheering him on.

"Baka. In tennis, the court only revovles around the players, the balls and the rackets. Outside that, it's with the team members and cheerleaders."

"I-I don't understand." Sakuno wondered if Ryoma was saying that even though he's considered and called the Prince of Tennis, they can still share each other's world.

Ryoma shrugged and continued walking but Sakuno pulled his hand so he stopped. He turned to look at her with a slightly irritated look.

"Is there more than one Earth in the Solar System?" He asked the already confused girl.

"N-No."

"Right, so why the heck are you saying that we're on different worlds? Just what planet do you live on? On Mars?"

Sakuno blinked as she looked at Ryoma. He rarely gets angry or really pissed but right now, Ryoma seemed to be ready to snap. Sakuno thought about what Ryoma said and as his words sank in her mind, she smiled a bit.

"Thank you, Ryoma-kun."

"I already handed my cap to you and you're still thinking of those things. You're really weird." Ryoma started walking again and Sakuno started wondering about the cap once more.

"W-What's with your cap, Ryoma-kun?"

"I'll tell you next time."

"Mou..."

They continued walking hand-in-hand until they reached Seigaku High. Sakuno was blushing the whole time because Ryoma was gently holding her hand in his own. Ryoma seemed to have found a new hobby which was holding Sakuno's hand whenever he felt like it. Ryoma found Sakuno's hand soft and warm. For a girl who played tennis a lot, Sakuno's hand was really soft.

"Sakuno!" someone called so the 'couple' halted and saw Sakuno's best friend approaching them. Sakuno smiled and waved her free hand.

"Good morning, Tomo-chan."

"Oh, good morning, Ryoma-sama. You came to school together and... whoa! You guys are holding hands!" Tomoka exclaimed after seeing Sakuno's hand being held by Ryoma. This caught all the students' attentions. Ryoma's fangirls screamed an ear-drum shattering screech and Ryoma sighed.

"Let's go."

The three of them walked to their classroom and on all the corridors they walked through to get to their classroom, the boys, whether they be freshmen, juniors or seniors, were all looking at Sakuno in awe. This didn't go unnoticed by the Prince who tightened his hold on Sakuno's hand while there was a frown on his face. He hated those stares directed at the blushing girl he was currently pulling.

"Ne, ne. Sakuno, who helped you do that to your hair? You look really cute! It's like you're a living doll." Tomoka commented while Sakuno blushed more then looked down. Ryoma knew she was shy to answer so he did it for her.

"My mom." He said which caused Sakuno to tighly close her eyes and bow her head. Tomoka's eyes widened and she gasped.

"R-Ryoma-sama's mom!"

"T-Tomo-chan, not too loud." Sakuno mumbled as she looked at her friend.

"B-But... was that true? Ryoma-sama's mom helped you do that?"

"H-Hai."

"Cool! You really are lucky, Sakuno!"

Unknown to the three of them, four of Ryoma's fangirls were listening to their conversation and were glaring daggers at Sakuno.

"Just who does she think she is being close to Echizen-sama like that?" One girl said while her arms were crossed in front of her chest.

"She's even holding our Prince's hand! What a bitch!"

"What do you want to do, Saori-sama?"

"We'll make Ryuzaki Sakuno-san pay for getting close to Echizen-sama." Their leader said with an evil smile playing on her lips.

Ryoma opened the sliding door of their classroom and proceeded to their seats. Once seated, he let go of Sakuno's hand and gave the bag to her which she hooked on the side of the seat.

-"Good morning, Ryoma-kun and Ryuzaki-san."- Kachiro and Katsuo chorused as Sakuno smiled at them.

"Good morning."

"Are? Since when did you two started going to school together?" Horio asked as he too joined Kachiro and Katsuo.

"I'll answer for them. Just now so stop sticking your nose and your unibrow on other people's business." Tomoka said and this started another shouting match between the two. Kachiro, Katsuo and Sakuno sighed while Ryoma closed his eyes and ignored the two.

Thirty minutes passed but there was still no sign of their teacher. Some of their classmates went out of the classroom to hang-out somewhere else besides the classroom while the others stayed. Ryoma already fell asleep on the desk while Sakuno was reading a book.

"Ryuzaki-san, do you have a minute?" The women's team captain, Nakima Saori said as she looked at Sakuno from the door.

"Hai, Nakima-san." Sakuno placed the book under her desk and unknown to her, Ryoma opened one of his golden orbs as he heard Sakuno stood up. He was silently watching the girl for some reason that bothered him. It happened to him again where he felt uneasy just like the time when Sakuno and her loud-mouthed friend got into trouble with Jyousei Shounan's Wakato Hiroshi's fangirls.

"Actually, we need your help to get things for the club practice later. Would that be alright?" Nakima said as she looked at her friends Sujiya Hiru, Kasahino Nana and Umeno Harue.

"Hai."

"Let's go then." Hiru said as they went down. They went to the ground, to the side of the school building where the storage room was.

"Ryuzaki-san, we need help in getting the cones for practice. Would it be alright if you'll get them for us?" Saori said.

"Hai."

When Sakuno entered the room, the four girls took something from the side of the storage room and entered the place. They locked the door which made Sakuno look at them. Her eyes widened as she saw what her Senpais were holding, a tennis racket and steel pipes. They were also wearing rain coats and gloves.

"S-Senpai-tachi..." Sakuno took steps backwards when her Senpais approached her.

"Don't you know that we don't want any other girl to get close to Echizen-sama?" Nana said while patting her hand with a steel pipe.

"R-Ryoma-kun? W-Why?"

"Don't call Echizen-sama by his name! He is our Prince! He is ours and not yours!" Hiru shouted.

"B-But... I never said he's mine..."

"Sorry, Ryuzaki-san but we don't want any interruptions from anyone." Harue said with a smile.

"To sum it all up, we don't want you to have any role in Echizen-sama's life. Girls, do it." Saori commanded and they started beating Sakuno up with their stuffs.

_'Ryoma-kun...'_ Sakuno thought before the beating began.

Ryoma looked around when he felt someone call him. This made Momoshiro and Eiji look at their Kouhai. A few minutes after Sakuno left the classroom, Momoshiro and Eiji went to their classroom to call Ryoma for their morning practice. They were currently doing some warm-up exercises before the actual practice matches.

_'Ryuzaki...?'_

"What's wrong, Ochibi?" Eiji asked.

"Nothing." Ryoma hesistantly answered.

"Were you looking for Ryuzaki-chan?" Momoshiro teased with a grin but Ryoma didn't pay any attention to that. He was looking around which made Eiji and Momoshiro exchange glances as they looked at their troubled Kouhai.

"Everyone gather up." Oishi said and everyone lined up with the first row consisting of the Regulars. A black-haired brown-eyed woman entered the courts and stood next to Tezuka.

"Good morning, guys. I'm your new coach for this school year and the following years. I'm Shirota Yukina. Let's be comfortable with each other, okay?"

-"Hai, Sensei."- Everyone answered except Ryoma who was looking at the side of the school building where the storage room was located.

"Ano, Sensei, can I ask a question?" Momoshiro said.

"Ask away, Momoshiro-kun."

"Your last name is the same as the famous actor Shirota Yuu. Do you know each other?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Yukina said with a teasing smile.

"Eh? Sensei, tell us."

"Next time, Momoshiro-kun. I promise. Alright, to start off, I have something to announce. Tezuka-kun and I talked about joining in a new Kantou Competition which is going to be held on December. It's a mixed competition where girls will be joining a boys' team to form a mixed one."

-"Girls?"- Most of the guys said.

"Sensei, isn't that going to be a handicap for girls because guys have more physical strength?" Inui asked which made Yukina look at him.

"It's true that boys have more physical strength than girls but there are times that girls shouldn't be underestimated. I'm sure that some of you have been able to play against girls before, right? So, may I ask who had some matches against girls? Please raise your hands."

Ryoma, Momoshiro, Fuji and Eiji raised their hands which made everyone look at them.

"See? It's not everytime that girls win against boys but we can play on par if we want to. Regarding the competition and how to recruit female tennis players, I preferred to go with recommendations and the Regulars will be the ones to put the newcomers to test whether or not they can join our team. You guys don't need to hold back your strength and just go head-on with your opponent."

"I see, nya but Sensei, we still don't have any recommendations." Eiji said with his arms crossed at the back of his head.

"We have one. Echizen was supposed to arrive here with someone." Tezuka said and Ryoma shifted his gaze to his Captain.

"She's still running an errand." Ryoma answered nonchalantly. This earned him a very loud 'what' from everyone in the court except for Fuji and Tezuka while their coach was giggling.

"Ochibi, who's the girl!"

-"Echizen, tell us who she is!"-

"Ii, data. The word 'she' in referrance to a girl around his age really did escape his mouth. This is a really really good data." Inui mumbled while scribbling on his notebook. Fuji chuckled and opened his eyes.

"Heh... so Echizen can even say the word 'she'. Saa, Echizen. Tell us who that special girl is?"

Based on the look on his Senpai's face, Ryoma knew that Fuji's sadistic side woke up already. He also knew that the one who's going to get cornered is him.

"Che. If you don't want her to be a she then she's a he." Ryoma scowled.

"Irritation?" He heard Momoshiro say with his Inui-look including the eyeglasses, notebook and pen. His Senpai was with Eiji.

"Check." The red-head answered.

"Scowling?"

"Check!"

"Death-glare?" Both Regulars looked at their Kouhai and nodded. There was a glare indeed on Ryoma's face.

"Double check, Momo-chi. So, what have you concluded?"

"It's... let's see... 97.65% that the girl is special to Echizen."

"Eh! Who's the girl, Ochibi-chan! You just have to tell us!"

"Not gonna happen." Ryoma said.

"Eiji-senpai, remember yesterday when..." Momoshiro trailed off with a knowing grin and one of those grins appeared on Eiji's lips as he found out what Momoshiro was planning to tell him.

"Oh, I remember. Ne, ne. Oishi, we know who Ochibi-chan was supposed to have arrived with." Eiji said as he draped an arm on his partner's shoulders.

"Really? Who is she, Eiji?" Oishi asked.

"A certain Kouhai of ours who's kind, caring, a great cook and soft-spoken." Eiji described. Ryoma's irritation meter was reaching its peak already but that stomach-turning feeling from when he thought that Sakuno called him earlier was still there. It hasn't subsided but instead, it kept on growing.

_'What's this feeling? What's wrong with me?'_ Ryoma thought with a frown as he looked at the side of the building again. By looking at that place, it seemed like someone was calling him to go there.

* * *

><p>After quite some time of beating Sakuno, the four girls stopped and looked at the bleeding girl. Harue noticed the flower clip on Sakuno's hair and roughly pulled it off.<p>

"Something fancy as this really doesn't suit a girl like you." She then dropped the clip on the ground as she and her friends went out of the storage room. They took off their coats and threw them in the black garbage bag along with the bloodied steel pipes and racket as well as the gloves. They tied the bag and threw it in the trash bin.

"Lock it up." Saori ordered and Nana closed the door then locked it by a padlock. After that, they casually left the place as if nothing happened.

* * *

><p>"Echizen-kun and Momoshiro-kun, is it alright if you'll get some boxes from the storage room? The blue ones please. We need them for practice." Yukina said and Momoshiro nodded.<p>

"Sure thing Coach. Echizen, let's go."

The two of them left the courts and Momoshiro noticed that Ryoma was still deep in thought. The boy hadn't even thrown a ball at him or Eiji even after their teasing.

"Echizen, why are you quieter than the usual? What's bothering you?"

"Ne, Momo-senpai. Have you ever felt being called by someone but when you look around, no one's there?" Ryoma asked as he kept his gaze to the path ahead.

"Hmm... twice. Those times were when I was with Ann. It gave me unending nagging feelings inside. So, to know what's wrong, I went to the place that bothered me the most." Momoshiro explained.

"So, if you feel like that... what does that mean?"

"It means that a girl who's important to you is in danger."

_'Danger? Ryuzaki...'_ Ryoma thought and at the exact moment, he saw something shiny on the ground in front of the storage room. He ran to it and picked the thing up. His eyes widened as he recognized what it was. Momoshiro went to his side and looked at the item in Ryoma's hand.

"A flower clip?Why would there be one here? And why does it have blood on it?"

"Ryuzaki..."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7 is finally over! Was it good or bad?<strong>

**Anyways, I'm curious about something. Fuji always says 'Saa...' on different occasions, right? Based from what I studied, 'Saa...' can either mean 'Come on' or 'I don't know' which differs on how it is used. So, is saying 'Saa...' Fuji's habit?**


	8. Tomo's Discovery, Ryoma's Anger & Call

**Tomoka's Discovery, Ryoma's Anger and A Call for Fuji**

"Ryuzaki..." Ryoma mumbled as he gripped the clip and looked at the storage room.

"Ryuzaki-chan? That's hers? But, doesn't she always use a small hairclip instead of a pin-up clip?"

"Mom used this to pin Ryuzaki's hair earlier. Momo-senpai, can you destroy that lock to open the storage room?" Ryoma placed the clip in his pocket and Momoshiro looked at the lock.

"I'll try to wreck it." Momoshiro looked for something he can use to break the lock. He looked at the side of the room and saw some steel pipes. He picked one up and started whacking the padlock. It was probably for a construction in their school

Ryoma had his fists clenched while glaring at the storage room. He was angry, confused and irritated all at the same time. He was also blaming himself for not going to the storage room when he first felt that nagging feeling. Now, aside from all those emotions he was feeling, he was worried about Sakuno.

After a few times of hitting the lock, it finally broke. Momoshiro took the lock off the door and opened the storage room. They both entered the place then Momoshiro switched on the lights. Momoshiro looked around but all he saw was the boxes and other stuff for practice. Ryoma, on the other hand, followed where his feet led him. He was now standing in front of a pile of boxes and behind those was something covered with black cloth. He moved the boxes away and gripped the cloth before pulling it off. His eyes widened at the sight of what was in front of him.

"Ryuzaki!" He immediately knelt down and held the unconscious Sakuno. The girl was literally black and blue on the arms and legs. She was bleeding and had long scratch marks on her as well as a couple of them on the cheeks. Her white and green uniform was dyed red by her blood. To say that she was beaten up was clearly an understatement.

"Echizen? Whoa! Ryuzaki-chan!" Momoshiro also knelt down beside Ryoma and looked at Sakuno. He might have been teasing her some time but he cares about Sakuno. In their team, the girl was like their little sister.

"Echizen, bring her to the clinic. I'll tell Buchou and Sensei about this."

Ryoma nodded and gently carried Sakuno in bridal style. He ran to the clinic while Momoshiro went back to the courts and saw that the practice matches already started.

"Buchou!" He said as he ran to Tezuka and stopped while panting.

"What is it, Momoshiro?" Tezuka asked.

"Where's Echizen, Momo?" Oishi said.

"He... He's at the c-clinic..."

"Clinic? Why? Did something happen?" Oishi asked again and Momoshiro shook his head.

"He brought Ryuzaki-chan to the clinic because we found her bleeding and badly beaten up in the storage room."

-"What!"- The Regulars said altogether including Tezuka. Their surprise made the other members stop to listen to them.

"What do you mean by Ryuzaki-san being badly beaten up?" Yukina asked.

"That's how we found her, Sensei. She's bleeding and her arms and legs were literally black and blue. Anyway, we should check her condition!"

"Let's go. Arai, you look after the tennis practice." Oishi said as Arai nodded. He and the other Regulars as well as Yukina ran to the clinic.

Ryoma, on the other hand, reached the clinic and entered without knocking. This got the doctor's attention who stood up in surprise.

"You should really learn how to knock." She said.

"Ryuzaki's in danger. I don't care about knocking." Ryoma said and the doctor gasped after seeing Sakuno.

"Oh my goodness! Hurry up and lay her on the bed. What on earth happened?" The doctor said as she took her things from the cabinet then approached Sakuno.

"I don't know."

"I must ask you to leave, Echizen-kun. This girl seems to be in a worse condition. I have to remove her clothes to cure all her wounds and also, I need to check if there are any internal hemmorages." The doctor explained to which Ryoma nodded. He looked at Sakuno before leaving the clinic and standing outside. He was leaning on the wall when his Senpais and Coach came.

"Echizen, how's Ryuzaki-san?" Oishi asked.

"The doctor's checking her up." Ryoma said plainly.

"How bad is her condition?" Tezuka asked.

"She's black and blue all over. She also has scratch marks."

"Who'd do that to Ryuzaki-san?" Kawamura mumbled.

"That's terrible, nya!"

"Fssshhhh. It's really terrible." Kaidoh said.

"Buchou, who's Ryuzaki's captain in their team?" Ryoma asked. When Tezuka looked at the young boy's eyes, he saw the fire of anger and hatred. He knew at that moment that he can't stop Ryoma from doing whatever it is he wants to do to get revenge.

"Nakima Saori, a third year student." He answered.

"Why'd you ask?" Fuji said.

"There are some marks from a tennis racket on her arms and legs."

-"What!"-

"Is that true, Echizen-kun?" Yukina asked.

"Hai. That person has something to do with this."

* * *

><p>"Do you think that Ryuzaki-san learned her lesson?" Nana asked while she and the other girls were walking back to their classroom.<p>

"Of course. Well, if she really didn't learn anything from our free lesson, there's always next time, right Saori-sama?" Hiru said and Saori nodded.

"We'll teach her another lesson. One that will surely make her regret becoming close to our Prince."

Unknown to the four of them, someone has been listening to their conversation. Tomoka gasped as she quietly ran to the ground where the tennis members were. She spotted the Freshmen Trio looking at their Senpais who were playing.

"Ne! Have you seen Ryoma-sama?" She asked.

"No. When we arrived here, the Regulars were already gone." Kachiro answered.

"Arai-senpai, do you know where Ryoma-sama is?"

"I think he's at the clinic. Something bad happened to Ryuzaki-san." Arai answered while the Freshmen Trio gasped.

-"What?"-

"I knew it! Thanks, Arai-senpai." With that, Tomoka ran to the clinic. She immediately saw the Regulars, Yukina and Ryoma outside.

"Senpais! Ryoma-sama!"

Everyone looked at her while she was panting when she reached them.

"I-I... Something bad... happened to Sakuno, right? H-How is she?"

"There's no news yet." Yukina said.

"I see. Darn! Those girls will surely pay for this!"

-"Girls?"- The Regulars said altogether.

"Hai. I overheard their conversation when I was walking around the corridors. The four of them were third year students. The thing that I can't believe was... the four of them belong in the girl's team. It seems like, their team captain is the leader. She's with Sujiya Hiru-senpai, Kasahino Nana-senpai and Umeno Harue-senpai. They were the ones who hurt Sakuno. I heard them. They even said that if Sakuno didn't learn anything after what they did to her because she's close to Ryoma-sama, they'd teach her another lesson."

When Tomoka was finished with her explanation, they heard a loud sound of someone's knuckle connecting with the wall. When they looked at the source, they saw Ryoma with a knuckle on the slightly cracked wall. Momoshiro placed a hand on Ryoma's shoulder who looked at them.

"Where are they?" Ryoma asked Tomoka in a low and deadly voice.

"Be-Before I c-came here, th-they were on the f-fourth floor."

Ryoma left them without any word. Eiji and Momoshiro took this as a cue to follow their rarely angry Kouhai while the rest of the team, except Tezuka and Fuji, were gaping at the cracked wall that Ryoma punched. They have seen Ryoma beat other guys up by using his tennis skills as well as a bit of his sadistic side. What they never knew of was on how strong Ryoma could punch. If he was able to put a crack on the wall, what more if he punches a guy in the face? One thing for sure, the poor guy might end up exchanging his face with a dog's.

"Osakada-san, I think you should sit. You can wait for the doctor's news on how Ryuzaki-san is." Oishi said while Tomoka sat on the chair.

"Ne, don't you think that we should stop those three from doing whatever it is they're planning to do?" Kawamura said.

"Taka-san, we can stop Momo and Eiji but not Echizen. His anger meter is probably at its peak. Say, Inui. Do you have any juice of yours?"

"Yeah. I have a new one. It's Royal Aozu Deluxe Version 5."

"Wh-What are you going to do with it, Fuji-senpai?" Kaidoh asked and earned a creepy smile with a hint of Fuji's sadistic attitude.

"I'll give them as gifts to the ladies."

"Sure thing. Let's go, Fuji."

The two guys left while the others stayed to wait for any news about Sakuno. Tomoka's tears started welling up. Sakuno's her best friend since they were young. She was the one who's Ryoma's fangirl but Sakuno isn't so just why on earth would those four ugly old ladies would hurt Sakuno?

"Sakuno... S-Sakuno..." She wiped her tears but it was of no use. Her tears were like water from the falls. It seemed unending. Suddenly, a green thing was being held by someone who was standing in front of her. Somehow, the prints on the big hankerchief were familiar. She glanced up and lightly gasped.

"Ka-Kaidoh... -senpai..."

"Fshhh. Use it."

Tomoka nodded and took the bandana from her Senpai's hand. She used it to dry her tears while the other Regulars looked at them, including Tezuka.

"That's... new." Oishi commented.

"I-I'll take record of this for Inui." Kawamura said before he started scribbling something on his notebook from his pocket.

"Y-Yeah. Th-That's a good idea."

* * *

><p>"Echizen, what are you planning to do?" Momoshiro said while walking beside his angry Kouhai. Even Eiji felt the dark aura that Ryoma was emitting. The guys who were standing in front of their way immediately moved sidewards to give way to the three Regulars.<p>

"Say, where's Nakima?" Eiji asked one of the seniors.

"Sh-She's at the rooftop with th-the rest of her friends." The guy said.

"Thanks."

"Hey, I'll borrow these." Ryoma said before taking the tennis racket that the third year student was holding as well as the tennis ball.

"S-Sure."

Ryoma went ahead of his Senpais and opened the door to the rooftop. The girls were chatting about something. Even before Eiji and Momoshiro could utter a word, the tennis ball hit the railing where the girls' arms were placed with a lot of power behind it. The ball returned to Ryoma's hand after he hit it.

"Who the hell di-" Hiru was cut off after seeing the glare on Ryoma's face. That wasn't the face of the usual anti-social, stoic and emotionless Prince on the court but the face of a very angry one. The girls cringed the moment they saw Ryoma, Eiji and Momoshiro.

"So, Nakima. What was it that the four of you were talking about? Is it alright if you'll also tell us what it was?" Eiji said with a frown.

"We-We were talking ab-about the new nail polish at the store. Kya!" Nana ducked in order to dodge the ball that Ryoma hit once again. If she didn't crouch down, it would've knocked the living daylights out of her.

"Why did you hurt Ryuzaki?" Ryoma asked.

"R-Ryuzaki-san? Did something ha-happen to her?" Saori asked.

"I'm sure you know exactly how Ryuzaki-chan is right now, Senpai-tachi." Momoshiro said with the emphasis on the last two words.

"We-We don't kn-know. What ha-happened to her?" Harue stuttered.

"Cut the lame act, Umeno. Spit it out if you don't want to look like dalmatians with tennis ball marks." Eiji warned.

The girls shut up when when they saw the serious look on Ryoma's face. They were sure that Ryoma would really turn them into tennis-ball spotted dalmatians.

"Answer my question." Ryoma commanded as his glare intensified.

"W-We didn't want her getting cl-close to you, Echizen-sama. You're the Prince of our fanclub so we don't want any other girl being close to you other than us. She had been way too much clingy and dependent on you. Besides, she's also one of your fangirls and we don't want her in our way." Saori answered.

"WHAT! You hurt Ryuzaki-chan just because of a reason as low as that!" Eiji exclaimed.

"That's a piece of crap!" Momoshiro shouted.

"It isn't just a piece of crap to us, Momoshiro-kun. Echizen-sama is our Prince so no one has the right over him except us." Harue said.

-"We hate her. That's why we taught her a lesson."- Nana and Hiru said in unison.

"Shut up!"

* * *

><p>"Kimada-san, where are the water bottles of Nakima-san and her three friends?" Fuji asked the senior who's a classmate of Saori.<p>

"Oh, their bottles are the ones over there." Kimada said as she pointed at the four bottles on the fifth table from the front.

"Thanks."

Fuji and Inui took the bottles and went out. Inui replaced the content with his newest poison- err... juice. Fuji then returned the bottles on the table before they returned downstairs.

"It's 98.2% that our revenge will be a success. The remaining 1.8% means we'll fail if someone else drinks from the bottles but that's highly unlikely." Inui explained while Fuji chuckled.

"Well, if we'll fail, we'll just talk to them in person."

"You mean, talk them out of the problem." Inui said with a smirk and Fuji nodded.

* * *

><p>"Shut up!" Ryoma shouted while his grip on the racket tightened.<p>

"Ochibi..."

"Echizen..."

-"Echizen-sama..."-

"You don't have any right to stick your nose on Ryuzaki's business or mine. Why the hell must you interfere? And I don't belong to anyone-" _Except Ryuzaki._ "-so stop dreaming that you own me."

* * *

><p>"R-Ryo... ma-k-kun..."<p>

The doctor who was currently signing things on the sheets of paper about Sakuno's condition looked at her patient after hearing her mumble something. She stood up and went to Sakuno's side. She saw that the girl was sweating and panting.

"Ryoma... -kun... Ryoma-kun..." Sakuno said between pants while her eyes were closed and her eyebrows were furrowed.

The doctor immediately went out and the Regulars as well as Tomoka looked at her.

"How's Sakuno, Sensei?" The pig-tailed girl asked.

"She's delirious. It must be from her injuries. She's calling Echizen-kun. Where is he?"

"He's probably with Eiji and Momo. I'll call Eiji." Oishi pulled out his phone and dialled Eiji's number.

* * *

><p>"Why, Echizen-sama? Why do you care so much about her? Why someone like her who's a klutz and weak? Why someone like her who's only bringing you trouble?" Saori asked while Momoshiro 'tsked' under his breath.<p>

"You guys wouldn't know even if it hits you on the face."

Eiji pulled out his phone when it vibrated, signalling an incoming call. He flipped the lid of his phone and answered the call.

"Hoi hoi. Eiji here."

_-Eiji, where's Echizen? He needs to go back here at the clinic now! Ryuzaki-san's calling for him!-_

"Ryuzaki-chan!"

Hearing the girl's name, Ryoma instantly took the phone from his red-headed Senpai.

"What happened to Ryuzaki?"

_-Echizen, go down now. Ryuzaki-san's delirious and she's calling for you.-_

Ryoma returned to phone to Eiji and ran out of the rootftop which shocked the four girls.

"Oishi, Ochibi already left. He'd be there in a minute or two, nya."

_-Okay. If you and Momo are already finished with your business there, go down too.-_

"Okay. Bye." Eiji hung up and placed his phone in his pocket. Momoshiro looked at the girls with a serious face.

"The reason why Echizen's close to Ryuzaki-chan is because Ryuzaki-chan isn't anything like you guys."

"Ryuzaki-chan's a lot kinder and nicer than you guys too. She isn't fake like the four of you who only acts nice in front of Ochibi."

With that, the two Regulars left and ran down to the clinic. The four girls sank down to the floor while crying.

After runnning all the way down to the clinic from the rooftop and returning the racket and ball to the third year on the way, Ryoma saw his Senpais who motioned him to enter the clinic which he immediately did. He ran to Sakuno's side and held her hand.

"Ryuzaki..."

"Ryoma... -kun..." Sakuno whispered. Ryoma squeezed Sakuno's hand a bit to let her know that he's with her.

"I'm here."

"Echizen-kun, you should bring her to the hospital to get proper treatments. What I did was first aid. With those amount of wounds, she needs a hospital, not a school clinic."

Ryoma carried Sakuno in bridal way and went out of the clinic. He looked at his Senpais then at his Coach.

"Sensei, can you bring us to Tokyo Hospital?"

"Of course."

"Ryoma-sama, I'll inform our teachers about this then I'll go to the hospital later." Tomoka said before running off with Kaidoh's bandana.

"I'll tell the Principal about this." Tezuka said.

"Alright. Boys, you should return to your classes now."

-"Hai, Sensei."-

Ryoma and Yukina ran to the school grounds then rode the brunette's black car. Yukina then drove to Tokyo Hospital. Meanwhile, while Eiji and Fuji were walking towards their classroom, Fuji's cellphone rang.

"Sorry. You go ahead. I'll just answer this call."

"Okay." Eiji said then he went to their classroom. Fuji opened his phone and stayed at the corridor.

"Moshi moshi?"

-Syuu~suke~-

* * *

><p><strong>That ends my thank you gifts! Were those three chappies satisfying or not?<strong>

**Until the next chapter. Bye for now! ^_^**


	9. Fuji's Special Someone

**Chapter 9- Fuji's Special Someone**

"Moshi moshi?"

_-Syuu~suke~-_ The girl's voice from the other line said.

"Midori!" Fuji opened his eyes in surprise and a smile made its way on his face as he heard the girl's giggle.

_-Hi there, Syuusuke. It's been a while.-_

"A hectic week for you, you mean. How are you?"

_-Like you said, it has been a very hectic week for me here in Australia. What about you?-_

"I'm alright. We're practicing for the competition on December."

_-December? You still have a lot of months to practice. Isn't that a bit early?-_

"Actually, we still don't have enough members to participate in the Kantou Tournament."

_-Huh? Why? The Seigaku Team's Regulars are enough, right?-_

"No. We're participating in a new kind of tournament. One of the rules is that the team should be composed of boys and girls. We only have nine boys and one girl." Fuji looked at the falling cherry blossoms outside and smiled a bit more. Cherry blossoms reminded him so much of the girl he's talking to right now.

_-Oh, then you guys are how many members short?-_

"I'm not sure but since Sakuno-chan's joining us, I guess around five."

_-Whoa! That's a lot but don't worry, Syuusuke. You're only four members short.-_

"Why?" Fuji received a giggle for an answer.

_-That will be a secret.-_

"You're still the same, Midori." Fuji heard the door of their classroom slid open and Eiji walked near him.

"Where's Sensei?" The Tensai asked the Acrobat.

"He's on leave. Our classmates said he's sick."

"I see."

_-Ne, ne. Who's that? A friend of yours? -_ Midori asked.

"Yeah, he is our team's one and only acrobat." Fuji answered.

_-Oh! It's Kikumaru Eiji-kun, right?-_

"Yeah. Want to talk to him?"

_-Sure!-_

"Here, Eiji."

"Hoi? For me?" Eiji asked.

"She said she wants to talk to you." Fuji handed the phone to Eiji.

"She? Who is she? Hello?"

_-Hi, Kikumaru-kun.-_

"You know me?"

_-Of course. You're Syuusuke's classmate, friend and teammate. You're Kikumaru Eiji-kun of Seigaku's Golden Pair. Oh, thank you for taking care of Syuusuke. I know he's a sadist so I'm glad you can bear with him.-_

"It's alright, nya! Fuji's just scary when he's balckmailing us and drinking Inui's Poisonous Juice." Eiji said with a shiver. Fuji chuckled and closed his eyes.

_'Speaking of juice, I wonder what happened to those four.'_

* * *

><p>"S-Saori-sama... Ech-Echizen-sama's angry at us..." Hiru said between hiccups.<p>

"We'll just have to eradicate that pest for good." Nana said while carrying their water bottles. She then gave the bottles to her friends.

"Nana's right. Raise your heads up, girls. We still have work to do. We're going to teach that girl a lesson she'll never forget." Saori said.

They all drank from their water bottles and screamed after tasting the horrible substance inside. As they fell on the floor unconscious and slightly twitching, the content of the bottles spilled, revealing a glowing purple and blue colored liquid.

* * *

><p><em>'Hmm. I guess that's the answer. I forgot to take pictures of their reactions from the juice. Maybe I'll ask Inui to have a cup of that later as well as a task for the Regulars where the juice will be the punishment for the losers. That will be fun.'<em> Fuji chuckled while Eiji kept on talking with Midori.

"Fuji, she said she wants to talk to you now." Eiji handed the phone back to Fuji.

"What is it?"

_-Ne, Syuusuke. Is the selection for the girls to join in your team still open?-_

"Eh? It is. What are you planning to do?"

_-I told you, it's a secret.-_

"You're planning on joining, aren't you?"

_-Why do you always have to know everything?-_ Even though Fuji and Midori were apart, Fuji knows that Midori was pouting.

"You can't join, Midori. You still have loads of work to do, right?"

_-Syuusuke's mean.-_

"I'm sorry but you really can't. If you can finish your work and then have enough rest, maybe I'll let you."

_-Too late, Syuusuke. Turn around.-_

Fuji turned around and saw a brown-haired brown-eyed girl standing by the stairs. She was wearing a short-sleeved top and jean mini skirt matched with boots. She was also carrying a big black shoulder bag.

"Midori..."

"Hi." Midori greeted as she raised her left hand. She closed her phone and walked towards Fuji and Eiji.

"Good afternoon. Nanami Midori, desu. Nice to meet you." Midori said as she bowed in front of them then straightened again.

"Nice to meet you too, nya. I'm Kikumaru Eiji." Eiji said.

"Midori, what are you doing here?" Fuji closed his phone and placed it in his pocket without letting his sight off the girl.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I missed Japan so I came back. Besides, I've been in Australia for a month woking on all those pictorials. Who wouldn't get tired of the limelight?"

"Pictorials? Nya! Now that I've taken a good look on your face, you're a model! Wait here!" Eiji ran to the classroom then came back while holding a fashion magazine titled An-An. He opened a page and showed Fuji and Midori the content. It was one of Midori's pictures taken in a pictorial at Australia.

"That's me." Midori giggled.

"When will you ever tell me ahead of time when you're returning here? Yumiko-nee-san will be surprised by this sudden homecoming again."

"Sorry, Syuusuke. I promise I'll tell you next time. Please don't get angry." Midori said as she clasped her hands and made a puppy look.

"Alright, you're forgiven."

"Thank you, Syuusuke!" Midori jumped on Fuji and gave him a tight bear hug.

"Are? Fuji, how'd you know Midori-chan?" Eiji asked while looking at the two.

"Let's just say that we go way back." Fuji said as he chuckled.

"To be more specific, Syuusuke and I are childhood friends."

"EEEHHHHHH!" Eiji exclaimed.

* * *

><p>Ryoma and Yukina arrived at Tokyo Hospital where Ryoma immediately went inside after Yukina parked the car. A doctor approached him the moment he stood in front of the receptionist.<p>

"She's badly beaten up. Get a bed." The doctor odered while the nurse beside him nodded. He carried Sakuno from Roma and laid her down on the bed. Ryoma followed them until he was told not to enter the emergency room. Yukina stood beside Ryoma's side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Echizen-kun. Ryuzaki-san will be alright."

Ryoma didn't respond but instead, he looked at the wall he was currently standing in front of. Ryoma's mind wasn't completely functioning right. He's way too worried about Sakuno, angry at the girls who hurt her and angry at himself. Sakuno wouldn't be in that situation if only he stopped her from going with her Senpai instead of faking his sleep.

_'Because of my adventurous attitude, I almost lost Akira when she accidentally fell off a cliff while on a school trip. She had been in comatose for two weeks. I blamed myself because of that. If only I had been with her before and during that trip, she wouldn't have encountered that accident. You see, Chibisuke. It would be best for you to show Sakuno-chan what you really feel about her. What if the same thing happens to her?'_ Ryoma remembered what Ryoga said last night. His brother was talking about his own personal experience. Why didn't he think that the same thing could happen to him in a different way?

Ryoma gripped the flower clip he'd been holding the entire time. The edges of the clip were digging on his palm but he didn't mind. He needed something to regain his composure, his cool demeanor and anything that can help him stay calm at the moment. Unfortunately for him, his anger and guilt got the best of him.

"Damn it." He muttered as he leaned his forehead and clenched fist on the wall and tightly closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>"Y-Y-You-You're childhood friends? Really?" Eiji stammered while looking at the two with wide-eyes.<p>

"Yes, really. It's just that I left Japan four years ago when I became a model. It was not an easy choice. I had to choose between Syuusuke and my work but Syuusuke was the one who told me that it's alright for me to leave because he knows that I'll still come back. He was right, though." Midori explained while hugging Fuji.

"So... are you two really just childhood friends? You're not a couple?" Eiji asked in disbelief.

"We're not. I'm just too clingy and jumpy."

"Really?" Eiji looked at Fuji with suspicion. He was sure that something was up with the two but he can't pinpoint what it was.

"Yup. Oh, don't you have a class today?" Midori asked.

"Our teacher's absent." Fuji answered.

"So, what happens with the rest of your day?"

"We'd go to the hospital to visit Ryuzaki-chan."

"Who's she?"

"The girlfriend of our freshman Regular, Echizen." Fuji answered.

"Why's she in the hospital? Is she sick?"

"No. She was tortured." Eiji said and Midori gasped.

"Tortured? By who?"

"By four jealous fangirls."

"My gosh! Syuusuke, let's visit her. Please, let's go."

"Of course."

"My car's parked by the gates. Let's go."

The three of them went to the gate and rode on Midori's red car. Fuji was the one who's driving while Midori was sitting on the passenger seat and Eiji was on the back.

"By Ryuzaki, is she the one with long twin braids?" Midori asked as Fuji started the engine.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I met her two years ago during the summer vacation. We've been friends since then."

"I understand."

"What did Echizen-kun do when he found out that Sakuno-chan was beaten up?"

"Ochibi got angry. Momo-chi and I accompanied him to the rooftop where the girls who hurt Ryuzaki-chan were. Ochibi was really really angry. I would've asked him to kill those girls if killing wasn't a crime on the law. Still, Ochibi-chan taught them a lesson they'll never forget."

"Inui and I also added some spice to their punishment."

"Nya? What did you do?"

"We gave them Inui's new juice." At Fuji's answer, Eiji sweat-dropped while Midori titled her head to the side.

"New juice?"

"Trust me, Midori-chan. You wouldn't want to be involved with any of Inui's poison called juice. A lot of people have already been victimized by those creepy juices." Eiji whispered to Midori who sweat-dropped and nodded while Fuji just chuckled.

* * *

><p>Tezuka knocked on the door of the Principal's Office and entered when he received the permission to do so. He closed the door and looked at the Principal who was sitting on the chair while typing something on the laptop.<p>

"Oh, Tezuka-kun. What brings you here?" Principal Takano Miyabi asked as she lifted her gaze.

"I would like to report a case of abuse done by four third year students to a freshman." Tezuka said in a serious voice.

"Explain it."

"The freshman student named Ryuzaki Sakuno was abused by four third year students named Nakima Saori, Sujiya Hiru, Kasahino Nana and Umeno Harue. Ryuzaki-san was brought to the hospital by Echizen and Shirota-sensei. Ryuzaki-san was black and blue all over and she has scratch marks as well as marks from being hit by a tennis racket."

"My goodness. I'll have to expel those four ladies from the school because of that. How's Ryuzaki-san right now?"

"There's still no news from either Echizen or Shirota-sensei."

"I see. What hospital was she brought to?"

"At Tokyo Hospital."

"Alright. I'll drop by later. Thank you for informing me about this, Tezuka-kun."

"You're welcome." Tezuka slightly bowed before leaving the office.

* * *

><p>After a short while, the rest of the Regulars as well as Tomoka and Midori reached Tokyo Hospital. They saw that Yukina was sitting on the chair while Ryoma was leaning on the wall, staring blankly at the floor.<p>

"Echizen, how's Ryuzaki-chan?" Momoshiro asked. Ryoma shook his head without looking at his Senpai.

"He's been a little out of it ever since Ryuzaki-san was brought to the emergency room." Yukina said as she stood up.

"Echizen... Your hand's bleeding!" Momoshiro commented as he saw Ryoma's right hand. Ryoma opened his hand and looked at the clip sitting on his palm. His blood was mixed with the slightly dry blood from Sakuno when she was beaten up.

"I'll ask for assistance." Oishi ran to the nurse and returned with the nurse who was carrying a kit.

"Sir, I must ask you to sit down to tend to your wound." The nurse said. Ryoma sat on the chair and stared blankly at the floor again. The nurse carefully took the clip from Ryoma's hand and wiped the blood with a cloth. After that, she proceeded to the next step.

Meanwhile, the Regulars were also thinking as to how Sakuno is. A few minutes later, the nurse finished bandaging Ryoma's wounded hand but the Prince clenched his fist with the clip on his palm. He didn't try to hurt himself anymore from gripping the clip. He felt that he didn't need to. He looked at the door of the emergency room when it opened. The doctor went out with the nurses pushing the bed where Sakuno laid on.

"How is she?" Ryoma asked as he approached the doctor.

"The patient's going to be alright. She just needs to rest for a few more days."

"Thank you."

The nurses pushed Sakuno's hospital bed until they reached Room 162. They left the room after settling the unconscious girl in the middle of the room. Ryoma stood by the bed and pushed Sakuno's bangs away from her face.

"We should inform Ryuzaki-sensei about this." Inui said.

"Don't, Inui-senpai. Ryuzaki wouldn't want her Grandma to worry about her." Ryoma said as he looked at them.

"But that will definitely illogical. Ryuzaki-sensei would want to know what happened to her Grand-daughter."

"The news might give her a heart attack." Fuji said and Midori nodded.

"Syuusuke and Echizen-kun are right. Ryuzaki-sensei shoudn't get worried too much. Besides, if Sakuno-chan is awake, she'd probably disagree with your idea."

-"Who are you?"- The Regulars and Tomoka asked except Ryoma, Fuji, Tezuka and Eiji.

"Hi there. I'm Nanami Midori. Pleased to meet all of you." Midori bowed a little and smiled.

"Nanami Midori... ah! That model from An-An!" Tomoka said while poitning at Midori who giggled.

"That's me."

"Wh-Why's a model here?" Kawamura asked.

"I'm a friend of both Syuusuke and Sakuno-chan."

-"EH!"-

"How come you never told us, Fuji?"

"Well, you guys never asked." Fuji answered with a chuckle.

"Anyways, I would like to be a part of your tennis team."

-"WHAT!"-

* * *

><p><strong>I'm getting the felling that Ryoma became a bit OOC in this one. -sigh- If he did then I probably failed in making him stay as who he is in the anime and manga. Sorry if he's OOC or if any of them is OOC.<strong>

**Review please!**


	10. Model Turned Tennis Player

**Chappy 10 is up! The spotlight's finally on Midori! Hehehe. A big thank you to everyone who reviewed! This one's for you!**

**Chapter 10, douzo! ^_^**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10- Model-Turned-Tennis Player<strong>

-"WHAT!"- The Regulars chorused loudly which made Ryoma's eyebrow twitch.

_'How can they forget that they're in a hospital room with a person confined in it?'_ He thought. Just as when he was about to tell them to shut their mouths, Tezuka spoke up.

"It would be better to discuss this outside. Ryuzaki-san needs to have a quiet time to recover from her injuries and the noise will slow that down."

"He's right. Everyone, let's go outside. Echizen, stay here." Oishi said and they all went out. Ryoma sighed and sat on the chair next to the bed. He looked at the sleeping girl and held her hand. Holding Sakuno's hand on his own gave him a warm feeling inside. It also gave him the feeling of wanting to protect her from everyone who wants to hurt her in any possible way.

_'Why are you making me feel like this, Ryuzaki?'_ He thought as he looked at the girl's hand placed on his palm. Even though he already held her hand earlier that day, he wasn't getting tired of doing that. Instead, it made him want to hold her hand even more. It was also just now that he noticed that Sakuno's hand fitted his. He held the girl's hand upright with the fingers pointing upwards and held his own against it. He spread his fingers and Sakuno's fingers fitted in the spaces. He intertwined their fingers and he laid his head on his arm. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Outside the room, the Regulars, Yukina, Tomoka and Midori were talking about Midori's plan to join the team.

"Are you serious, Nanami-san? You want to join in our tennis team?" Oishi asked Midori who had both her arms wrapped on Fuji's right arm.

"Yup, I'm serious!"

"But, you can have injuries and wounds while you're playing tennis. Your manager wouldn't want that to happen." Inui said.

"I don't mind. Besides, I have two managers. One is my modelling agency manager, Miwako Kana-san and the other is Syuusuke." Midori said with a big smile.

-"EH!"-

"You see, Syuusuke was my manager before Miwako-san. When the pictorials were still being held here in Japan, I always asked Syuusuke for guidance and the decisions to make concerning the pictorials. We're childhood friends so it's only natural for me to ask him about what I'm supposed to do. Whenever I'm in Japan, it's Syuusuke who takes care of me while Miwako-san manages her other models."

"That makes sense. So, Fuji. What do you think?" Kawamura asked.

"Hmm. It's either I'll agree and she'll be happy or I'll disagree and she won't talk to me for a week. Let her have a try." Fuji said.

"Really, really, really? You're really letting me play?"

"Yeah. You just came back and I still don't know when you'll be leaving so I wouldn't risk a week with you ignoring me."

"You're so sweet! Thank you, Syuusuke! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Midori wrapped her arms around Fuji's neck and jumped up and down a bit. Fuji chuckled and placed his hand on Midori's back.

"Just don't try to catch the ball with your face."

"Hey! I wouldn't do that! You were the one who taught me how to play tennis! And you also know that I only accidentally caught the ball once with my face when we were four!"

"When **you** were four. I was already five by that time." Fuji said as he chuckled when Midori playfully punched him on the arm.

"Those two..." Oishi trailed off.

"Are surely..." Eiji followed.

"A couple." Momoshiro finished. Kawamura, Kaidoh, Tomoka and Yukina nodded in agreement while Tezuka just looked at the two.

"You'll have your match against Kikumaru, Kaidoh and Momoshiro to know whether or not you can join." He said.

"Hai."

* * *

><p>"Anata, why are they not here yet?" Rinko asked while her hands were clasped together.<p>

"Probably because of the practice. Ryuzaki-chan would be joining Seishounen's team."

"But... it's already 7 pm. Their practice doesn't normally reach 7 in the evening."

"Maybe they're with Momoshiro-kun. That young man treats Seishounen at a fast food chain some times."

"I hope so... but I don't think so..." Rinko took the receiver and dialed Ryoma's cellphone number.

_-The number you have dialed is either turned off or out of the coverage area. Please try to call later.-_

Rinko put down the receiver and sighed.

"I hope they're alright."

* * *

><p>"Echizen, oi. Wake up. Echizen." Momoshiro shook Ryoma on the shoulder until the younger boy woke up. Ryoma sleepily looked at Momoshiro while still holding Sakuno's hand.<p>

"What is it?" He asked.

"Aren't you planning to go home? It's already 7 in the evening. You also have class tomorrow."

"Hmm." Ryoma looked at Sakuno and sighed. He didn't want to leave her alone but he also needed to go home. Rinko would be worried if he won't go but no one would be watching over Sakuno if he leaves. Those were the only things he has to think of. He already knows what their lessons for tomorrow would be. He can just write it down for the girl.

"Momo-senpai, is it alright to use a cellphone here?"

"Hmm... I think so. This part of the hospital is separated from where the equipments are so I think you can use your phone here."

"Thank you." Ryoma dialed their house number and after two rings, someone picked it up.

_-Ryoma! Where on earth are you two?-_

"I'd explain everything tomorrow but for today, I'd stay with Ryuzaki here."

_-Here? Just where are you two? Where's Sakuno-san? What happened to her?-_

"Sorry, Mom." He heard his mom call him for two more times before he reluctantly turned his phone off. Momoshiro placed a hand on Ryoma's shoulder and looked at the boy.

"Echizen..."

"I'll stay here, Momo-senpai."

"Alright. See you tomorrow." Ryoma nodded and Momoshiro left. Ryoma resumed his interrupted sleep once again.

* * *

><p>he next day, Midori was already wearing her tennis outfit while sitting on the bench. She was twirling her white and green racket while looking at Fuji who was sitting beside her.<p>

"Shouldn't you be cheering for you teammates and not for me?" She asked with a smile.

"I'm not on anyone's side here. Besides, I want to know whether or not you've improved. It has been six months since we last played against each other."

"And I lost because of your Triple Counter. But, Syuusuke. I won't lose as easily as last time. Whether or not you're the opponent, I won't lose without a fight. Why don't we make a bet? If I win, you'd coach me until I get better. If I lose, hmm... what do you want me to do?"

"You'd go with me to an amusement park this Sunday."

"What amusement park?" Midori said with stars in her eyes which Fuji chuckled at upon seeing.

"Miracle Land."

"Yosh! I must win- no, I will win!"

"Good luck then." Fuji stood up and went outside when Kawamura sat on the umpire's chair.

"The first match this morning would be Nanami-san against Eiji. Players in the middle."

"Let's have a good match today, Midori-chan." Eiji said as he held his hand out which Midori took and they shook hands.

"Same here."

After a short while, they went to their positions and Midori held the tennis ball while looking at Eiji's direction.

"Nanami-san to serve." Kawamura announced and Midori started her serve.

The ball crossed the net and was returned by Eiji with one of his diving shot.

"Whoa, as expected of Seigaku's Acrobat." Midori said before running to the ball and returning it with a top spin lob. Eiji jumped and returned the ball with his right hand on the backhand side of his body, pinpointing the ball to the place where Midori wasn't standing on.

"Kikumaru Beam!" He said as the ball crossed the net for a score.

"Love 15."

"Cool! So that's what it was."

As the match resumed, Fuji was chuckling while the other Regulars except Tezuka were looking at him.

"What's funny, Fuji?" Oishi asked.

"Nothing. It's just that, Midori's gathering information again." The Prodigy answered.

"Gathering information?"

"That's how Midori is. She wants to experience the opponent's moves first before she show her own."

"You mean, Nanami-san is like Echizen?" Momoshiro said.

"Yeah."

"Kikumaru Bazooka!" Eiji shouted as he hit his powerful groundstroke after he spun in mid-air.

"Game Eiji. One game to love. Change court."

Midori stood on the other side of the court while waiting for Eiji to serve. When the red-head served the ball, Midori ran to the net and returned the serve with a volley, leaving Eiji with no choice but to approach the net. Midori smirked as she returned the shot with a high lob.

"Kikumaru Bazooka!"

After the ball connected with the racket for a smash, they all went wide-eyed except for Fuji and Tezuka as they saw Midori's return stance. She returned the ball by quickly rotating her body. She used a centripetal force to absorb the force of any overhead smash and then she returned the ball with a lob that landed on Eiji's baseline.

"Fuji's Higuma Otoshi!" Eiji exclaimed after landing on the court.

"Seriously!" Momoshiro shouted.

"It was no doubt Fuji's Higuma Otoshi. The stance, footwork, balance, grip, return and power were all 100% accurate. I have never seen anyone do it perfectly other than Hyoutei's Oshitari." Inui said as he scribbled down on his trusted notebook.

"That girl copied all of it?" Kaidoh said.

"It's natural that Midori knows how to do my Higuma Otoshi. She's been seeing that since we were kids." Fuji stated while chuckling.

"L-Love 15." Kawamura announced.

"Cool! It's the first time that I've seen a girl hit Fujiko's Higuma Otoshi! You're so cool, Midori-chan!" Eiji said while looking at the girl.

"Thank you. Actually, this is the first time that I hit Higuma Otoshi without a flaw."

"Eh? Really?"

"Hai."

"I'll be careful with that then." Eiji said before he served. Midori ran to the net and returned it with a volley. Eiji was careful of his moves and didn't use any smash. All the shots that Eiji hit weren't going beyond where Midori was.

"H-Hey, why don't Eiji's shots reach the baseline?" Oishi asked.

"Forget the baseline. It's not even going past Nanami-san." Inui said.

"Why is it like that, Fuji-senpai?" Momoshiro asked Fuji.

"That's Midori's Net Limit."

-"Net Limit?"-

"It's the same as a net play, only that Midori adds a certain spin on the ball before returning it to the opponent that limits every shot within where she is. Midori also knows how to do some acrobatics so this enhances her advantage on the net play to return each and every shot without fail."

"I won't give up, nya!" Eiji used both of his hands to return the shot. His return almost hit Midori on the face if she didn't kneel down and returned the shot with a backhand. Eiji made a passing shot for a game.

"Game Eiji, 2 games to love."

After thiry minutes, Eiji began to have a hard time while playing against Midori. This was noticed by everyone outside the court.

"Why is it like I'm playing against Fuji, nya!" Eiji said when Midori hit Fuji's Hakugei. When the shot landed, it returned to her hand just like how Fuji does it.

"40-30."

"Whoa! Even Fuji-senpai's Hakugei?" Momoshiro said.

"She's like an exact copy of Fuji." Oishi commented

"Which means that it's almost like Eiji is playing a match against Fuji." Inui said while scribbling things on his notebook.

"As expected of Midori." Fuji said with a chuckle.

"Who would've thought that out of all people, we'd see Fuji's moves being hit by a model?" Oishi said.

"No one would almost believe that Nanami-san is a true model. She certainly has skills for tennis, don't you think so, Tezuka?" Inui said and Tezuka nodded.

"It seems like her skills were thoroughly polished by you, Fuji."

"Every time Midori returned here in Japan, we always played tennis for some sort of bonding time with each other as well as to make up for the time we lost during her pictorials." Fuji said.

"Nya! This time it's Tsubame Gaeshi!" Eiji said as the ball rolled across the court.

"Game, Nanami-san. Four games all."

Midori continued using Fuji's Triple Counter on Eiji which gave the acrobat a hard time. After a few more minutes, Midori won the match with the scores being 7-6 after a tie-break.

"That was fun, nya! Let's play again some time." Eiji said while he was having a handshake with Midori.

"Of course. I would be glad to have another match with you."

"The second match would resume after five minutes." Tezuka said as Midori sat on the bench. Fuji handed her the water bottle and looked at her.

"That was interesting." He said while Midori sipped her water.

"It's was a difficult match but I enjoyed it. Kikumaru-kun's really powerful."

"You shouldn't underestimate your next opponent. Kaidoh's pretty serious."

"Kaidoh? Oh, Kaidoh Kaoru-kun. He's scary."

"Good luck, Kaidoh." Oishi said.

"Be careful, nya. Midori-chan's a tough girl." Eiji said.

"A girl is still a girl, senpai." Kaidoh retored.

"You really shouldn't look down on girls, Mamushi." Momoshiro said while his arms were crossed in front of his chest.

"Fssshhhhh. I don't care, Porcupine-head."

"Syuusuke, he's scary. I don't know if I can play seriously." Midori said while tugging the sleeve of Fuji's jersey.

"Hmm. Just imagine that Kaidoh's wearing a viper headdress. That way, you won't be scared."

"Kaidoh-kun... wearing a viper headdress?" Midori placed her index finger on her chin and closed her eyes. In her mind,she imagined Kaidoh's face. Then, the bandana on his head changed into a viper's headdress. A lightbulb clicked and she ended up giggling.

"That's funny." She said as she looked at Fuji.

"Concentrate on the match, Midori. If you're not careful, a viper might just bite you."

"Hai. I'll be careful, Syuusuke."

"Alright. The second match will begin right now. Players in the middle." Eiji announced as he sat on the umpire's chair. Kaidoh and Midori looked at each other when they stood before the net on their sides of the court.

"Just because you can hit Fuji-senpai's moves doesn't mean that I can't beat you. Fsshhh."

"And just because you're bitter that your opponent's a girl doesn't mean that I'll let you win, Mamushi-kun."

* * *

><p><strong>It was pretty short, right? Was it alright or did it lack anything? If it did, please include that to the reviews. ^_^<strong>

**~ sapphire wind**


	11. Clip, Recovery & New Regular

**Chapter 11 is up! My goodness! I was able to finish this one too. Hehehe.**

**Alright. This chappy is for xXRandomnessPrevailsXx, Tsuki no Sakura-11, imnobeautyqueen and Sacchiance for being the first ones to give reviews about Chapter 10! ^_^**

**xXRandomnessPrevailsXx, Sakuno's waking up in this one. I hope you like it.**

**Tsuki no Sakura-11, it's finally done! Let's talk again some time. ^_^**

**imnobeautyqueen, sorry that the thing we talked about will be on Chapter 12. It didn't fit the timeline so I'm sorry but I'll do it on Chapter 12. I promise.**

**Sacchiance, I'm also not sure what it was. I'll try to make it up with this one.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11- Midori's Clip, Sakuno's Recovery &amp; New Regular<strong>

"Just because you can hit Fuji-senpai's moves doesn't mean that I can't beat you. Fsshhh." Kaidoh said with knitted eyebrows.

"And just because you're bitter that your opponent's a girl doesn't mean that I'll let you win, Mamushi-kun." Midori said with a smirk which angered Kaidoh more.

"Why does it seem like Kaidoh doesn't like Nanami-san?" Kawamura asked.

"Mamushi never liked girls except for his idols. I think he's a gay." Momoshiro said while chuckling.

"Kaidoh to serve!" Eiji announced and Kaidoh started the game. That simple serve turned into a heated rally between the two. The ball kept going back and forth without the players missing a chance to return the shot. After about an 18 ball rally, Midori finally got a point.

"Love 15."

Kaidoh served again and this time, Midori used her Net Limit. Kaidoh was pushed into using his Snake which as easily returned by Tsubame Gaeshi. As they continued playing, Kaidoh became more and more pissed with Midori. After all, he never liked copy cats just like Wakato Hiroshi of Jyousei Shounan who changed over as him and even tried to copy his Boomerang Snake.

When the score was 4-4, Kaidoh finally used Tornado Snake to stop Midori from using any of Fuji's Triple Counter. He managed to get the point but not without messing with Midori's hair. The ball Kaidoh hit accidentally shattered the clip on Midori's hair which forced it down. Midori's eyebrow began twitching while looking at her shattered clip.

"Midori's not going to be happy with that." Fuji said with a worried look.

"Because of her hair? As to what I know, girls hate it when their hairs get messy." Inui asked.

"No, because of the clip. It's something I gave her."

-"EH!"-

"Mamushi's up for something terrible, huh?" Momoshiro commented with a sweatdrop.

"Kaidoh-kun~, you really hate me, don't you? I understand you don't like me but do you really have to break the clip that Syuusuke gave me? I have had it!" Midori said as she served after picking up the pieces of the clip. Everyone, except Fuji, was surprised on why there was no sound of impact when she hit the ball.

"Game Midori-chan. Five games to four!" Eiji announced.

"Eiji, what happened?" Oishi asked.

"Where's the ball?" Momoshiro asked.

"The ball's over there at Kaidoh-chan's baseline. Midori-chan's return was so fast that it silenced the impact of the return." Eiji explained.

"So, Midori mastered Fuurin." Fuji commented.

"Fuurin? As in Wind Bell?" Kawamura asked.

"Yeah."

The match progressed and Kaidoh lost with the scores being 6-4. Midori went on full power after her clip broke. When they stood at the middle of the court, Midori looked at Kaidoh while her hands were on her hips.

"You know, you're never going to find yourself a girlfriend with that I-hate-all-the-girls-in-the-world attitude of yours. Don't you know that that is so not cool? You even broke the clip that Syuusuke gave me. I hope that you change your bad attitude, Mister." Midori reprimanded before huffing and stomping back to the bench. Kaidoh just 'fssshhhed' before going out of the court. Midori sat on the bench and looked at the shattered pieces of the butterfly clip on her hands.

"Aww. The clip's really a goner." Tears started forming in her eyes.

"Don't worry about that, Midori. I'll buy you a new one." Fuji said after kneeling down on the ground in front of Midori.

"But this one's special. You gave this to me when I became a model four years ago."

"I'll do something about it. Give your best shot in the next game, okay?" Fuji said as he took the remnants of the clip on Midori's hands.

"Okay."

* * *

><p>Ryoma woke up when he felt something grip his hand. He sleepily opened his eyes and looked for the source of pressure on his right hand only to see Sakuno's hand gripping his. His head immediately shot up, his sleep forgotten, and looked at the girl. He saw a slight movement on her eyelids and after a few more seconds, her eyes finally revealed those chocolate brown eyes.<p>

"Ryuzaki..."

At the mention of her name, Sakuno carefully turned her head towards the source and smiled a bit at Ryoma after her gaze focused on him.

"Ryoma... -kun..."

"Wait for me here. I'll call the doctor."

Sakuno gave a weak nod and Ryoma let go of her hand before going out of the room. After a few minutes, Ryoma returned with the doctor who performed a check-up on Sakuno. After that, the doctor looked at Ryoma.

"Ryuzaki-san's condition is a lot better than last night. It's almost unbelievable that even after suffering all those injuries, she woke up almost immediately. Normally, it would take at least four days before the patient makes a full recovery but she's amazing. She can go home later but she still needs a few more hours of rest. Otherwise, her body might start to ache again."

"Does she need any painkiller?" Ryoma asked.

"No. Her body will recover on its own. Well then, good luck on recovering, Ryuzaki-san." The doctor gave Sakuno a smile before leaving the room.

"Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno asked when Ryoma sat on the chair and held her left hand again.

"Don't scare me like that, Ryuzaki." He muttered and Sakuno blushed.

"H-Hai. I'm sorry."

* * *

><p>"Game, Nanami-san. 6 games to 4." Inui announced as Midori and Momoshiro shook hands after playing.<p>

"You were really amazing, Nanami-san." Momoshiro said with a smile.

"Thank you, Momoshiro-kun. It was fun playing with you."

"Nanami-san, as the Captain of this team, I'm personally welcoming you as a team member." Tezuka said when he entered the court.

"Really? Thank you, Tezuka-kun. Minna, I hope we become good friends." Midori glanced at Kaidoh and mentally stuck her tongue at him then she looked at Fuji and smiled.

"I won, Syuusuke. Does that mean you'll really treat me out?"

"Yeah and here. I told you I'd do something about it, right?" Fuji placed the repaired butterfly clip on Midori's hand.

"Syuusuke... thanks a lot!" Midori used the clip to pin her hair up once again.

"I'm going to call Ochibi, nya." Eiji dialed Ryoma's phone number and waited for the boy to pick up.

_-Hello?-_

"Good morning, Ochibi! How's Ryuzaki-chan?"

_-She's awake.-_

"I see, I see. So, she's awa- EEHHHHH! Ryuzaki-chan's awake!" Eiji exclaimed.

-"Really!"-

_-You're too loud, senpais. The phone's not even on loudspeaker.-_

"Heh... So, how did you get her to wake up? With a kiss? Just like Rapunzel?" Momoshiro said.

"Idiot! It's not Rapunzel. It's Sleeping Beauty." Kaidoh retorted.

"Whatever, Mamushi! It's still a fairy tale!"

"You wanna fight!"

"Bring it on!"

"Momoshiro, Kaidoh. Twenty laps around the court. Now!" Tezuka ordered and the two immediately started running.

-"Ryuzaki-san, congrats on recovering so quickly."- Oishi and Kawamura said.

_-Th-Thank you, Senpai-tachi.-_ Sakuno said on the other line.

"We'd go there later to visit." Eiji said.

_-Senpai, instead of going here, just go straight to our house.-_

"Why to your house, Ochibi?"

_-Because Ryuzaki's staying with us at home.-_

-"What?"-

"D-Do-Does that me-mean that yo-you two are together i-in your house?" Oishi stammered.

_-Hai.-_

"Where does she sleep at night?" Inui asked.

_-In my room.-_

"Eh! Ochibi, are you two sleeping on one bed?"

_-No. I'm sleeping on the futon. She sleeps on the bed.-_

"We we're worried back there. We thought that you might... you might..." Eiji said as he trailed off when Kawamura looked at him.

"Eiji, it's Echizen we're talking about here. It's impossible for him to think of that."

"55.04% that Echizen ever thought of that." Inui said as he adjusted his glasses.

_-Can we just stop talking of whatever you're talking about and end this call? We need to go home.-_

"Uhh, sure. See you later, Ochibi and Ryuzaki-chan." Eiji ended the phone call and looked at his fellow Regulars.

"So that settles it. We'll be going to Ochibi's house!"

"I'll be going with you too! I want to see Sakuno-chan." Midori said while her arms were wrapped on Fuji's arm again.

"Sure. Oh, Nanami-san. Can you write your sizes here? It's for the Regular's Jersey." Oishi said as he gave Midori a sheet of paper.

"Okay."

* * *

><p>"Ryoma-kun, wh-why are you st-still here?" Sakuno asked while blushing.<p>

"I'm taking care of you." Ryoma flipped his phone open and dialed a number.

_-Yo, Chibisuke.-_

"Aniki, can you bring the car and get us home?"

_-Eh? Where are you two? Mom was really worried, you know.-_

"I'll explain later. Anyway, we're here at Tokyo Hospital. We'll wait for you at the lobby."

_-Ho-Hospital! Is Sakuno-chan pregnant already! Oi, Chibisuke!-_

"Just go here instead of saying useless things like that." Ryoma closed his phone and sighed. He then looked at the blushing girl on the hospital bed.

"Change to my clothes so we can go home."

"H-Hai."

Ryoma stood up and went outside of the room. After a few minutes, he returned inside when Sakuno said he can do so. He looked at the girl and frowned a bit. There was too much bandage on her arms and legs. There were even patches on her cheeks.

"Let's go." He said as he held her hand again. Sakuno nodded while blushing and they went out of the room. After confirming that Sakuno was listed as a released patient; they waited for Ryoga at the lobby. A short while later, the black car stopped in front of the hospital and Ryoga went out of it. Sakuno and Ryoma went out to greet him.

"Sa-Sakuno-chan! What happened to you!" Ryoga exclaimed after seeing Sakuno's condition.

"U-Uhh, I f-fell from th-the stairs..."

"Get in the car, you two. You'll have a lot of explaining to do."

The three of them went in the car with Ryoma and Sakuno sitting next to each other at the back. Ryoma started explaining in the simplest and most brief explanation he can make.

"EH! Sakuno-chan was tortured by your fan girls!"

"Ah."

"You'd be grilled by mom later, Chibisuke."

After quite some time, they reached their house. Rinko immediately greeted them when they came back. She hugged both Ryoma and Sakuno.

"I'm glad that the both of you are home."

"Sorry for what I did yesterday, Mom." Ryoma said and Rinko nodded then looked at the kids.

"What happened to you, Sakuno-san?" Rinko asked as Nanjiroh and Nanako entered the living room.

Ryoma started explaining all over again while Sakuno was looking at her hands on her lap. When the story ended, Rinko looked at Sakuno and smiled a little.

"I'm glad you're safe, Sakuno-san. The girls who did that to you are probably going to be expelled so you won't have anything to worry about."

"Hai. It's was all thanks to Ryoma-kun and the Senpais."

"Now that Ryuzaki-chan's alright, we should celebrate!"

"Alright. We'll be cooking a feast!" Nanako said.

Nanjiroh went out on his bike and headed for the grocery store. After half an hour, he came back with lots of plastic bags containing the groceries. Rinko and Nanako cooked everything for the celebration. When they were done with cooking, the doorbel rang. Ryoga opened the door and he saw all of the Seigaku Regulars with Midori.

-"Good evening."- They all greeted.

"Come in, you guys." Ryoga moved from the door as everyone took their shoes of and entered.

-"Ojamashimasu. (Excuse us for disturbing.)"-

"Go-Good evening, Senpai-tachi. Are? Mi-Midori-san?" Sakuno said as she saw the brunette.

"Saku-chan! Long time no see! I missed you!" Midori said as she hugged Sakuno a little tighter than the girl can currently handle.

"Midori, Ryuzaki-chan's injured, in case you're forgetting." Syuusuke reminded and Midori immediately let go of Sakuno and sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"Oops, sorry about that, Saku-chan."

"I-It's alright."

"You're really noisy, Senpai-tachi." Ryoma said as he came from the common room.

"Ochibi! Long time no see!" Eiji said as he and Momoshiro glomped on Ryoma which made Ryoga chuckle.

"No wonder you're getting tougher, Chibisuke."

"Shut up, Aniki."

"Oh, come in. We cooked a feast for Sakuno-san." Rinko said as she looked at them.

-"Good evening, Mrs. Echizen."-

"Good evening to you too. Come on in."

They all settled in the common room while Ryoma never heard the end of his Senpais' teasing.

"So, Echizen. What did you really do?" Momoshiro asked.

"How did you get Ryuzaki-chan to wake up?" Eiji asked the young boy whose eyebrow was already twitching.

"Was it because of a kiss?" Fuji asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I want to know too, Echizen-kun." Midori said.

"Ryuzaki woke up on her own. Nothing else happened." Ryoma said.

-"Che. How boring."- Momoshiro, Eiji and Midori said altogether while Fuji was chuckling.

"Before we start eating, everyone, get your glasses please. Let's all have a toast for Sakuno-chan's recovery." Ryoga said while holding his glass of orange juice.

"And also for Midori on becoming the new Regular on our team." Fuji said while holding his glass.

-"Cheers!"-

"Congratulations, Midori-san." Sakuno said and earned another hug from Midori. This one's a gentler one, though.

"Thank you, Saku-chan. Syuusuke said you'd be joining so I joined too."

"Oh, I see. I'm glad you're on the team. When I fully recover, I'd also play against some of the Senpais to know whether or not I can join."

"You don't have to worry, Saku-chan. Your boyfriend's there for you."

"B-Boyfriend?" Sakuno stuttered while blushing and Ryoma's eyebrows furrowed.

_'Who the hell...'_ He thought.

"Yup! Isn't Echizen-kun your boyfriend?"

-"EH!"- The two chorused while the others laughed, except for Tezuka, of course.

They spent the rest of the day celebrating. It was almost 12 when they stopped and since it was midnight, Rinko decided to let everyone sleep in the house. Since it's big enough to accommodate all of them and they got permissions from their parents or relatives, they stayed there for the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Yosh! It's done! Hehehehe. Hmmm. My internet connection is getting bad again so I don't that I'll be updating any time soon. Probably around next week. <strong>

**T_T I'm going to miss talking to my friends on PM.**

**See you on the update next week! ^_^**


	12. Confession in Miracle Land

**Alright, this chapter's a week delayed so I did my best to make this as long as my imagination can make it so. There's a surprise in the middle that continues until the end of the story. ^_^**

**Oh, thanks to everyone who reviewed! I was really surprised of the amount of notice and review that I saw in my inbox. Thank you very much!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12- Confession in Miracle Land: Midori and Fuji<strong>

"I can't eat anymore..." Momoshiro mumbled as he rubbed his stomach while his leg fell on Eiji's chest who sleepily jerked up on a sitting position before throwing his pillow that landed on Kaidoh's face and falling back asleep again.

"Leave some... anago for me, nya..." He said.

"Damn you... Porcupine-head... Fssshhh..."

Kaidoh threw the pillow that landed on his face and hit Oishi whose fist accidentally hit Inui on the cheek. Inui hit the lamp shade when he moved to his side to avoid another fist from Oishi. The lamp shade then fell on Kawamura's hand which activated his Burning Mode even when asleep.

"BURNING!" Kawamura stood up even when asleep while holding the lamp shade. When he attempted to walk, he tripped on Inui's leg and resumed a peaceful sleep again.

The only ones who were safe from this ruckus were Tezuka who was sleeping silently at the side by the wall and Fuji who was sleeping next to him. Ryoma was of course, sleeping on his futon inside his room with Sakuno.

It was two in the morning when Fuji woke up. He sat up and looked at his teammates who were still fast asleep. He smiled a little and got up from his futon then went out of the guest room. He sat on the hallway then looked at the moon. He then heard a slide from a door so looked behind him. He saw Midori rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" He asked as Midori approached him and sat beside him.

"I don't know... I just woke up. What about you, Syuusuke?"

"I don't know. I guess I wanted to look at the moon." Fuji shifted his gaze to the moon. Midori looked at the moon too even if her head was swaying sideward.

"I think you should really go back to sleep."

"Don't want to... I want to look at the moon too. It's really pretty." Midori said as she looked at the moon with sleepy eyes.

"Then lean on my shoulder so your head won't fall off your neck." Fuji said and Midori nodded. She then leaned her head on Fuji's shoulder and sighed.

"Syuusuke... why is the moon pretty?"

"It's pretty because that's how it is."

"But I like the stars more. They are beautiful and they shine on their own without the help of the sun to do so."

"You sound like you envy the stars." Fuji opened his eyes and placed his arm around Midori's shoulder.

"I do. They're really beautiful, you know."

"And you think you're not?"

Midori sighed, closed her eyes and shook her head a little bit.

"I know I'm not. I was just lucky that I have the height and the fashion sense but other than that, I'm not really different from an average 15-year-old."

"You say that but I don't share the same sentiments about you."

"Huh? Why? You, of all people, know how normal I am."

"I know but I really just don't understand on why you think you're not beautiful."

"Because I'm not."

"You are."

"Am not."

"You are."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Alright, whatever you say. You're not."

"I am."

"I told you so. You're beautiful."

"Huh?" Midori looked at Fuji then counted the times they exchanged words and recalled what Fuji said.

"Ah! You tricked me."

Fuji chuckled and Midori pouted. They shared another moment of silence while watching the moon appear and disappear at the sky because of the clouds. Midori covered her mouth with her hand when she yawned then rubbed her eyes again.

"Ne, why are you still single?" She asked.

"Because I'm not double." Fuji answered with a chuckle. Midori slapped him on the arm lightly.

"Be serious, Syuusuke... You're handsome, really smart and skilled... You have all the qualities that a girl is looking for. Why don't you have a girlfriend yet? I'm sure that you have someone you like."

"I do but she still hasn't noticed me that way. I've known her for lots of years but I don't think that she knows how important she is to me." Fuji explained as his hold on Midori tightened a bit and Midori closed her eyes.

"You've known her... for years? Is she someone from our street? Do I know her?"

"Yeah, you know her. She was a cry baby when we were young and always went to me for comfort. I always saved her from those who wanted to hurt her like what I did to Yuuta when there were kids who bullied him. Even though she's a cry baby, she has strong will power and she doesn't want anyone to underestimate her when she gained self-confidence. A few years ago, she left Japan to work abroad but she still comes back when she's free."

"Is she also close to Yuuta-kun and Yumiko-nee-chan?"

"Yeah."

"I wonder why I don't know anyone who's like that... Are you sure that I know her?"

"You know her."

"I'll... think about it..." Midori then dozed off and fell asleep. Fuji chuckled and looked at her. He carefully carried Midori then stood up. He went to the other guest room where Midori slept earlier and laid the girl on the futon. He pulled the blanket to her shoulders and pushed her bangs from her face. He caressed her cheek gently then smiled.

"You're really dense, aren't you?"

Fuji quietly left the room then returned to the guest room where his teammates were and slept.

A few hours later, Rinko woke up and made breakfast for everyone. Sakuno woke up and looked at Rinko when she went down.

"Good morning, Rinko-san."

"Good morning, Sakuno-san. Don't you need to rest a bit more?"

"I'm alright. I also have to go to school. I was absent yesterday so I want to make it up."

"And who told you that you'd be going to school today?"

Sakuno and Rinko looked at the stairs and saw Ryoma standing there while ruffling his hair.

"Good morning, Ryoma." Rinko greeted her son who nodded and sat on the chair.

"A-Am I not going to sc-school today, Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno asked the Prince who nodded again.

"You'd be staying here."

"My, my. You're pretty serious about not letting Sakuno-chan to go to school today, Seishounen." Nanjiroh said as he and Ryoga entered the dining room.

"When did you start calling Ryuzaki by her first name?" Ryoma asked with a glare.

"Just now. Why, do you have a problem with it?" Nanjiroh asked with a teasing grin.

"Oyaji, you know very well that our Prince doesn't know how to share." Ryoga said.

"Then back-off."

"You can't decide for Sakuno-chan. After all, that's her body." Nanjiroh sat on the chair across Ryoma and looked at Sakuno.

"So, Sakuno-chan. What do you say? Are you going to school or not?" Ryoga asked the blushing girl who sat next to Ryoma. Sakuno took a glance at Ryoma who was looking as emotionless as ever but there was something in his eyes that she couldn't name.

"Ano... I think... that I'll stay here."

-"EH! You are! You're actually going to listen to him!"- Nanjiroh and Ryoga chorused. Sakuno shyly nodded then looked at her lap.

"The doctor said that I need to rest. I'll ask a copy of the notes from Tomo-chan so I won't fall back even when I'm resting." Sakuno said then she heard a bit of a rustle from a bag and saw Ryoma getting something from his bag. Ryoma straightened and placed a notebook in front of Sakuno.

"Wh-What's this?"

"Notes."

"Eh?"

"Oh, so that's what you were writing last night. That's the notes about your lesson for the following days, right?" Ryoga said and earned a glare from Ryoma.

"That way, you won't fall behind your classmates while you're recovering, Sakuno-san." Rinko said as she placed all the foods she cooked for breakfast on the table.

"Thank you, Ryoma-kun."

"Hn."

A few minutes later, all the Seigaku Regulars with Midori woke up and went to the dining room then bowed slightly after seeing Rinko and Nanjiroh.

-"Ohayou gozaimasu."-

"Good morning, everyone. It's time for breakfast." Rinko said as everyone sat on their chairs.

-"Ittadakimasu."-

All of them started eating and Nanjiroh looked at the Seigaku Regulars.

"Ah, I forgot to tell you guys that there's a week of class suspension to give way to the renovations in your school. The classes will resume next week." Nanjiroh said after he sipped his tea.

"Really?" Momoshiro asked.

"Yeah. I received a call from your principal. She said that it would be better to announce the suspension earlier than when she originally planned to do so which is around the time of your tests. Since the classes have started not too long ago, you guys can just scan your books for the lesson you'd be taking up when the class starts again."

"Thank you for telling us, Echizen-san." Tezuka said as he bowed slightly.

"It's no biggie. Oh yeah, you're Nanami Midori-chan, right? Can I have your autograph?" Nanjiroh pulled out an An-An magazine with Midori's picture as the cover.

"I'd be glad to. Can I also have your autograph? You're the famous Japanese Samurai, Echizen Nanjiroh-san. When Syuusuke and I were kids, we were always watching your matches." Midori said as she pulled out a tennis magazine and opened the page where there was an article about Nanjiroh.

"Really? That's great news!" The two exchanged items then wrote their signatures and returned the items to one another.

"Thank you, Midori-chan."

"You're welcome and thank you too, Echizen-san."

After they ate breakfast, they bid the Echizens and Sakuno goodbye then went on their separate ways. Midori and Fuji took a break at the park and sat on the swings.

"Ne, ne. Where does the girl you like live? Is she your neighbor?"

"I'll tell you on Sunday. I know it's not right to ask a girl this question but... why don't you have a boyfriend yet?" Fuji asked while Midori started to move the swing she was sitting on. The Prodigy noticed that there was a thoughtful look on her face.

"Because the boy I like doesn't see me that way. Besides, he told me that he loves someone else already. I don't want to force him to love me so I'll just be happy for him. I just want to know who the lucky girl is then I'll try to stop loving him." Midori looked at Fuji and smiled a bit but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Midori..."

"Come on, Syuusuke. Let's go home. We're going to Miracle Land on Sunday, right?" Midori pulled Fuji's hand to make him stand up.

"Yeah. Let's go."

The days passed quickly until it was Sunday. Midori just finished braiding a part of her hair when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." She said as she finished tying a ribbon on her braided hair. She was wearing a white long-sleeved blouse, checkered skirt that reached her thighs and black leggings.

From the mirror's reflection, she saw Fuji standing by the door and was looking at her. She saw that he was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with a black vest on top, a red necktie, jean pants and black shoes. He looked really handsome.

"Are you ready?" Fuji asked.

"Yep. Let's go." Midori wore her white sandals then followed Fuji after making sure that the door was locked. From the house next to hers, she saw Yumiko smiling at the two of them.

"Good morning, Yumiko-nee-chan."

"Good morning, Midori. Syuusuke, take care of Midori, okay? Make sure that she's going to enjoy your 'trip' to Miracle Land." Yumiko said with a teasing smile.

"Yeah, I'll do that, Yumiko-nee-san. Here, Midori." Fuji handed a blue helmet to Midori while he was holding another black helmet. Midori wore the helmet and Fuji did the same. He started the engine of his motorcycle as Midori sat behind him.

"We'll be going now, Yumiko-nee-chan." Midori said as she waved back to Fuji's sister.

"Have a safe trip."

With that, Fuji drove down the road while Midori had both of her arms wrapped around Fuji's waist. She leaned her head on Fuji's back and sighed.

"What's wrong, Midori?" Fuji asked while driving.

"H-Huh? Oh, it's nothing." Midori defended herself.

"You wouldn't sigh if there's nothing wrong."

"How'd you know I sighed? You couldn't have possibly heard it when you're driving at top speed."

"I know you did. I didn't have to hear you because I know you very well, Midori. Is there something that's bothering you?"

"No, it's really nothing."

Fuji decided to stay quiet. He'd just corner her in Miracle Land to get her to answer.

After a few minutes, they reached Miracle Land and parked the motorcycle at the parking lot. Midori and Fuji took their helmets off and went inside the theme park after purchasing two ride-all-you-can tickets. Midori had her hands clasped behind her while twirling around and looking at the whole place.

"It's huge!" She exclaimed while Fuji chuckled.

"Let's go, Midori. We'd be riding something now."

"What is it?"

Fuji had a sinister smile on his lips while Midori became pale. She was staring at the sign board of what they were going to ride. It was something she was afraid of. The ride itself wasn't scary but of what she might end up seeing during the ride.

"H-Ha-Haunted C-Coaster?"

"Yes, because you didn't answer my question earlier as to what was troubling you."

"I-I'm sorry, Syuusuke. Le-Let's get out of here, please. I-I'm scared."

"Too late, Midori. We're next."

Fuji pulled the brunette who was whimpering and trembling. They sat on the first car and Fuji pulled the safety bars down for the both of them. Midori had her eyes closed as she gripped Fuji's hand a little tighter. Fuji pulled Midori closer to him and the girl wrapped her arms tightly around his right arm. He chuckled when Midori yelped as the cars moved to start the ride.

When they entered a tunnel, a lot of the riders shouted and screamed when there were projected ghosts. Midori was also one of those who screamed while Fuji was chuckling. He was not afraid of ghosts. Back then when there was a black-out in Seigaku Middle School, he faked his fright to enjoy his teammates' misery upon mistaking Sumire as a ghost. Honest to goodness, he was only afraid of one thing. That is to lose the girl who's special to him.

When the ride ended, Midori was wiping her tears with Fuji's handkerchief while they were walking around Miracle Land.

"You okay?"

"D-Do I look okay? You're really mean, Syuusuke. What did I ever do to you?"

"You didn't answer my question on why you sighed earlier. Tell me, Midori. What's your problem?" Fuji said as they sat on a bench.

"I-It's nothing. I just sighed because I missed Japan a lot. I missed you a lot."

"It was pretty silent when you were gone and really light. There was no one who's talking whenever it's silent while clinging on me in every possible way."

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Midori asked and Fuji chuckled.

"Of course because aside from your cheerful attitude, those were one of the things that I missed about you."

"I guess so but you know, I also missed your sadistic side even though you're also giving me troubles with that. It just wasn't the same even when we're calling each other by the phone. I mean, if I have some troubles with the guys who were... umm... ahh... what do you call this..."

"Hitting on you?" Fuji proposed.

"That's it. Hitting on me, you're not there to protect me. You know that I don't enjoy that kind of attention, right? So, if there were guys who were hitting on me, I was always chanting your name in my mind just to keep me calm as I tried to find an answer to escape the problem. To my luck, it always seemed to work." Midori said and Fuji smiled.

"Let's go. We'll ride on whatever you want then we'll eat. When it's evening already, we'll be going somewhere else, okay?"

"Somewhere? Where?"

"That's going to be a secret."

The both of them proceeded on riding all the rides that attracted Midori's attention. Of course, with Fuji being a well-known tennis player and Midori a famous model, they gathered a lot of attention from the people in Miracle Land. There were even some who bumped themselves on stalls, chairs or almost anything possible when looking at the two.

While Midori and Fuji were taking a break from all the rides they rode, they saw a little girl crying while holding a white teddy bear. Midori and Fuji both stood up and approached the girl. Fuji had his hands on his knees as he bent a little while Midori was kneeling in front of the girl.

"Ne, are you lost?" She asked the girl who nodded.

"I can't find Mommy." The girl answered while rubbing her eyes.

"Then, let's sit on the bench while we wait for your Mommy, okay?"

"You can stay with us until your Mom arrives." Fuji said and the girl nodded.

Midori wiped the girl's tears and held her small hand then the three of them sat on the bench. Midori smiled while looking at the girl. She has shoulder-length blue-hair and yellow eyes. She was around three years old.

"What's your name?"

"Ayaka." The girl answered then looked at both Midori and Fuji.

"You're... Nanami Midowi-san fwom An-An, wight?" Ayaka said and Midori giggled. The young girl was pretty adorable.

"I am. Nice to meet you."

"You're Fuji Syuushuke-san fwom Seigaku, right?"

"That's right." Fuji said with a smile.

"Wow. You're weally pretty and he's so cool." Ayaka said in a delighted voice.

"Thanks for the compliment."

"Why are you here, Fuji-san?" Ayaka asked.

"We're having a play time." Fuji answered.

"With who?"

"A special person."

The girl turns to Midori then back at Fuji.

"Her?" At this, Fuji nodded.

"How special is she?" Ayaka asked so casually. Midori felt her heart beat rapidly. She wanted to know what Fuji will answer. More importantly, she wanted to know who she really is for him.

"No words can express how special she is to me." Fuji smiled and although Ayaka didn't understand, she never asked for a more specific answer.

"Oh… Have fun!"

"Here, Ayaka-chan." Midori took her ribbon off her braided hair then gave the ribbon to the girl.

"You can use it as a headband like this." Midori tied the ribbon on Ayaka's hair with the bow on the left side of the girl's head.

"Thank you, Nanami-san."

"Ayaka! Where are you?" They heard a woman say and Ayaka smiled widely.

"That's Mommy! Mommy, Mommy!" Ayaka called until a blue-haired woman with brown eyes ran towards them.

"Ayaka! Thank goodness you're alright." The woman said as Ayaka ran to her and gave her a hug.

"Mommy, Fuji-san and Nanami-san helped me." Ayaka said and her mother looked at the teens who slightly bowed at her.

"Thank you very much for helping my daughter."

-"You're welcome."- Midori and Fuji said together with a smile.

"Let's go, Ayaka."

"Bye bye!" Ayaka said as she waved at the two while she and her mother were walking away.

"Syuusuke, let's eat."

"Okay."

After they ate their snack, they resumed their rides. This continued until it was six in the evening. Fuji held Midori's hand as he pulled her to a place where he knows she'll appreciate what she's going to see. Midori looked around when Fuji stopped walking.

"A park? Why are we here?"

"For a surprise. Look up."

After the words left Fuji's lips, the sky lit up. Midori smiled when she saw the different colors of the fireworks glittering in the dark sky.

"Happy Birthday, Midori." Fuji said as he held out a rectangular box to Midori who gasped.

"It-It's my birthday?"

"Yeah. I knew you'd forget again so I decided to treat you out so you'll remember."

"Thank you, Syuusuke." Midori took the box and opened it. Her eyes widened as she gasped after seeing what was inside the box. It was a necklace with a locket attached to it. Fuji took the necklace from the box and opened the locket, showing Midori the content.

"That's..."

"Remember this time? We were playing at the park then you gave me chocolates before kissing me on the cheek." Fuji said while looking at the picture where Midori was kissing him on the cheek. Midori, on the other hand, was blushing madly.

"I-I..."

Fuji moved from his spot and walked behind Midori before putting the necklace on her. After a short while, he stood in front of Midori. That was when Midori's heart literally skipped a beat and she forgot to breathe for an instant. It was because of Fuji's lips gently placed on hers. For her 16 years of existence, she never thought that she'd be given a chance to feel the genius' lips on hers.

Fuji pulled back and stared at the brunette with his azure blue eyes. Midori was blushing a lot and was clutching the locket on her neck.

"W-Why did you..."

"I love you."

"H-Huh? But you said that the girl you like was a cry-baby and always went to you for comfort."

"Don't you always?" Fuji said with a smile.

"Y-You said she's strong willed and she didn't want to be underestimated."

"Weren't you like that?"

"You s-said she works abroad and comes back here whenever she's free."

"Don't you do that?"

"Th-Then... she's... me?" Midori asked with tears in her eyes.

"You were just really dense. I was telling you how you were when we were young up until now when you asked me who I like or rather, love."

"Oh, Syuusuke! I love you too! I really really do!" Midori said as she hugged Fuji who wrapped his arms around her in return.

"I know. I had a hunch that you do."

"You're a genius after all."

The both of them smiled and looked at the bright night sky with glittering fireworks. Under that night sky, everyone in the park witnessed the confession of the world-known tennis player and the famous model.

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><p><strong>Sapphire Wind:<strong> Yay! Yay! It's over!

**Nanjiroh:** Why didn't you give me a longer exposure! I was in the sidelines for six chapters and that's all I get! *shakes the living daylights out of Sapphire Wind*

**Sapphire Wind:** S-Sorry about that... but this chapter's... meant for Midori-san and Fuji-san. *after answering with swirls in her eyes, Sapphire Wind faints*

**Ryoga:** Ah! She fainted! You're in trouble now, Oyaji. You won't have any exposure at all if Sapphire Wind's unconscious.

**Nanjiroh:** NANI! Oi, wake up!

**Ryoga: **Anyways, read and review! Thanks!


	13. Princess, Tensai & Prince

**Oh, man... The classes are ongoing again. -sigh- I have to wake up at 5:30 in the morning to eat, take a bath, get dressed and leave before 6:30 to have some time for the travel because the first class starts at 7:00. Then, I'll go home at 7 PM. Geez... I'm still not in the mood to go to school but a student's got to do what a student's got to do.**

**I hate this freaking broadband! It has been hanging up on me and disconnecting my internet connection! Geez! If only there were other ways to connect to the internet, I wouldn't waste my time with you!**

**-sigh- Anyways, Chapter 13's here! It's Sakuno's turn this time after Midori's date! ^_^**

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><p><strong>Chapter 13- Seigaku's Princess VS Seigaku's Tensai &amp; Practice from the Prince<strong>

Sunday passed quickly without much of any ruckus from anyone. Well, aside from Nanjiroh and Ryoga's constant teasing that Ryoma was getting tired off, nothing much happened. Sakuno finished fixing her hair and clipped the new cherry blossom clip that Ryoma gave her.

She smiled at her reflection on the mirror and went out of Ryoma's room while carrying her bag. She saw the Prince tying his shoe laces to knots.

"You're slow." He said.

"Sorry about that, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno sat next to Ryoma and wore her shoes.

"Good luck in your match today, Sakuno-san." Rinko said with a smile.

"Hai. Thank you, Rinko-san."

"Give them your best shot, Sakuno-chan." Ryoga said.

"We really wanted to watch your match but we'll just wait for the good news later when you get home." Nanako said.

"Be sure to beat your Senpais, Sakuno-chan. And Seishounen, don't forget to cheer for Sakuno-chan." Nanjiroh said while Ryoma glared at him.

"Don't call Ryuzaki by her first name."

-"So cold, so cold."- Ryoga and Nanjiroh both said while Rinko and Nanako giggled. Sakuno was the only one who was left confused about the whole scene.

"Let's go, Ryuzaki." Ryoma pulled Sakuno by her hand and they went out of the house but not without Sakuno saying goodbye to the people inside.

"Ittekimasu!"

They were walking hand-in-hand until they reached Seigaku High. Sakuno learned to be comfortable with that since Ryoma took a liking in holding her hand whenever he wanted to do so. A lot of their classmates were surprised on why Sakuno had some bandages on her arms and a patch on her cheek.

-"Ryuzaki-san, what happened to you?"-

"Umm... I-I fell from th-the stairs..." Sakuno said but that sounded more of a question than a statement.

"Come on, Sakuno! Why don't you tell them the truth that you were tortured by four witches who were jealous of you!" Tomoka exclaimed while tears began to form in her eyes. Sakuno looked at her best friend then looked at her lap.

"Is that true, Ryuzaki-san?" Kachirou asked. Seeing that Sakuno won't answer, Ryoma did it for her.

"Yeah. That's true."

-"EH!"-

"B-But I'm alright now. There's no m-more need to worry." Sakuno said with a smile while she was waving her hands. Their classmates reluctantly nodded before wishing her to have full recovery.

Their classes started with long tests. A lot of their classmates whined about the test because no one certainly saw that coming. Sakuno was really grateful to Ryoma because of his notes which he gave her. It had everything that appeared on the test. The result was, the two of them had the highest scores. Ryoma got the expected perfect score while she was contented that she didn't fail and only had four mistakes.

The rest of their classes before lunch break continued with some tests and recitation. When the bell rang, Sakuno pulled out their bento while Tomoka and the Freshmen Trio ate with them again. Ryoma and Sakuno ate quickly and they all went to the tennis grounds where the Regulars were.

Sakuno began to tense up that she didn't notice her clip sliding down her hair. She began wondering if she can also win like how Midori did. She wasn't able to practice much because Ryoma was very strict with her for the past days. He didn't want her to do something that can hurt her body while in the process of recovering. She was thankful of his concern but she's at a lost now on how she's going to win. She doesn't even know who's she's going to play with.

It was Ryoma's touch that brought her back to reality. She looked at Ryoma whose hand was sliding in her thigh-long hair with the clip in his hand. Ryoma looked at her then placed the clip on her hand after placing his beloved white cap on her head. He also placed his red racket on her hand.

"Don't think too much. Just play."

"Ryoma-kun..."

"You can't be the princess if you'll get scared. Enjoy the game."

"Hai."

"Hn."

"Ryuzaki-san, you'll have our match against Fuji, Echizen and me." Tezuka said.

-"EEHHHHHHH!"- Everybody chorused. Sakuno gulped then looked at Ryoma. The Prince glanced at her then back at Tezuka.

"Buchou, are you sure that Ryuzaki-chan's going to fight against the three of you?" Momoshiro asked.

"Ah."

"But isn't that a bit too much, Tezuka? Ryuzaki-san's still just a beginner." Oishi said.

"I-It's alright, Momoshiro-senpai and Oishi-senpai. I-I don't mind." Sakuno said.

"I'll go last." Ryoma said while looking at Tezuka who nodded. Ryoma then sat on the bench

"Fuji, you'd be first."

"Alright. Midori, who are you going to cheer for?" Fuji said while looking at the brunette who was standing outside the court.

"For Saku-chan of course! Good luck, Saku-chan. I'll cheer for you. Beat Syuusuke."

"You're hurting me, Midori." Fuji said while feigning hurt. Midori stuck her tongue at him and smiled.

"We're girls, Syuusuke and girls should stick together on times like this. Good luck, Saku-chan. Do your best and because Echizen-kun won't voice his cheer for you, I'll cheer for him."

"Th-Thank you, Midori-san but shouldn't you also cheer for Fuji-senpai?"

"Nah. It's only just for this match anyway. Syuusuke can handle that."

"The match is going to begin. Players in the middle." Oishi announced when he sat on the umpire's chair. Sakuno and Fuji shook hands then went to their own sides of the court.

"Momo-chi, I'm not color-blind, right? That's a red racket on Ryuzaki-chan's hand, right? Right? Right?" Eiji asked while looking at the racket with wide-eyes.

"That's... Echizen's racket... isn't it, Senpai?" Momoshiro said.

"Are they..." Inui trailed off.

"Sharing..." Kawamura added.

-"Rackets?"- All of the Regulars chorused.

Fuji used his Disappearing Serve and thanks to that, Sakuno lost three consecutive points.

"Fuji-senpai's so harsh!" Momoshiro commented while Midori nodded.

"That's Syuusuke alright."

"Ochibi! Aren't you going to cheer for Ryuzaki-chan! She's in a pinch!" Eiji shouted.

"Hn."

-"Hn." As in 'Hn.'! Just a freaking 'Hn.' when Ryuzaki-chan's in trouble! How cold and heartless can you get!"-

"You're not doctors, Senpai-tachi. You can't know whether I have a heart or not and whether my insides are frozen or not. Besides, the match has just started." Ryoma said nonchalantly. Both Eiji and Momoshiro sighed and looked back at the game. Their eyes widened when they saw the slowly spinning ball on Fuji's side of the court.

"What happened?" Eiji asked Kawamura whose mouth was a little agape. Kawamura snapped back to reality and looked at him.

"Ryuzaki-san managed to return Fuji's Disappearing Serve with a swirling shot."

-"What swirling shot?"-

"Sakura No Mai." Ryoma answered while looking at the game.

"Sakura No Mai? What's that?" Momoshiro asked.

"It's a vertical gyro spin on the ball by making it hit the racket's face diagonally. Because of the diagonal hit, the ball travels on the racket's face on the time of the impact. Since the ball comes from a high return, the vertical gyro spin circles the opponent and making him immobile." Inui explained while scribbling on his notebook.

"C-Cool. How did Ryuzaki-chan manage to do a shot like that?"

"She fought against Aniki."

"Against Ochibi's Aniki!" Eiji exclaimed.

"Yeah. Just watch."

All of them resumed watching the game and saw that Fuji and Sakuno were on a three games tie. Fuji used his Higuma Otoshi when Sakuno used a smash. Tsubame Gaeshi also made its appearance as well as Hakugei which gave another game to Fuji.

Sakuno was starting to get frustrated. She's being cornered in the game. She doesn't want to lose just like that. She needs to win and she must win.

_'What am I supposed to do? What should I do to win?'_ Sakuno thought while looking at the racket's handle. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. She nodded to herself and held the ball in her hand.

_'Ryoma-kun told me to enjoy the game. I can't be frustrated.' _She thought as she served.

They had another set of rally until Fuji hit his Tsubame Gaeshi. Sakuno lowered her stance and hit the 'crawling' ball. Everyone was stunned by that, including Fuji. Ryoma just smirked while looking at the girl.

"Heh. So that's the reason why she'd been lowering her stance."

"I-Inui... what was that ball?" Kawamura asked.

"It's a ball that curves upward and drops down immediately anywhere on the opponent's side of the court. I think it's the perfect counter for Tsubame Gaeshi because if the stance is lower than the usual and the player aims for the racket's sweet spot, Tsubame Gaeshi hits the face thus being able to return it." Inui explained.

"Fssshh. How can she do that?" Kaidoh asked.

"Kaidoh-chi, don't talk like that about Ryuzaki-chan. Ochibi might hear you." Eiji said after poking Kaidoh on the cheek.

"Fssshh."

"Let him face Echizen-kun's wrath, Kikumaru-kun. Mr. I-Hate-Girls wants it." Midori said as she huffed. Kaidoh's eyebrow twitched while Eiji chukled a bit.

"Midori-chan hates you."

"Fssshh."

"Oh, yeah. What's that shot called, Echizen?" Inui asked the Prince.

"Tsuki No Sakura (Cherry Blossom of the Moon)."

Fuji and Sakuno's match progressed and they were in a five games tie. Ryoma was busy of watching Sakuno play against Fuji to her fullest. He began wondering on why he ignored Sakuno in their first year as middle school students. He shrugged and sighed inwardly.

_'Che. All of the girls were the same before I met her.'_

Ryoma looked at the match and saw that the two were on a tie-breaker with Fuji having the leading point which is 17-16. Fuji was skillfully using his Triple Counter against Sakuno's Sakura No Mai, Tsuki No Sakura and her normal shots.

When Sakuno was about to hit a smash, she saw that Fuji was already in the stance of Higuma Otoshi. On that split second, she decided to change her shot. Fuji used his Higuma Otoshi but it was out, thus making Sakuno win the game.

"Game and Match won by, Ryuzaki-san. Seven games to six!" Oishi announced and everyone cheered.

"Congratulations, Saku-chan!" Midori said as she hugged the girl.

"Th-Thank you, Midori-san."

-"Congratulations, Ryuzaki-san!"-

-"Congratulations, Ryuzaki-chan!"-

"I must say, that was very clever of you to use a Sinker, Sakuno-chan." Fuji said as he approached Sakuno.

"Th-Thank you."

"She used a Sinker? I see. With the impact of a usual smash, a ball without rotation becomes very light that it goes beyond the lines. That was very clever." Inui said as he started scribbling again.

"Say, Tezuka-kun. Why don't you let Ryuzaki-san off the hook? She won against Fuji-kun." Yukina said and Tezuka seemed to have thought about it.

"I also decided not to play against her in a one-set game. I want a different one." Ryoma said which made everyone look at him.

"What kind?" Tezuka asked.

"A ball control game."

"Ball control? For her serve?" Fuji asked.

"Hai."

"Alright. I won't fight against Ryuzaki-san given that she won against Fuji. Do your game, Echizen."

"Uiisu."

Ryoma stood up and took his red racket from the bench then looked at Sakuno who was standing on the other side of the court.

"Use that serve and try to make the ball reach my face for three consecutive shots. If you can't do it, you'll start over." Ryoma ordered.

"EH! A-Are you su-sure? I-I might i-injure you be-because my control is st-still a failure."

"Just do it."

Sakuno sighed. She bent her knees then jumped to serve the ball. She landed on her left feet and the ball crossed the net. All of the spectators gasped when it almost reached the Prince's face had he not bent his knees to return it back.

-"Twist Serve!"- The Regulars said altogether.

"Next." Ryoma ordered once again.

Sakuno did what she was told to do so and used the Twist Serve. She was once again able to almost make it hit Ryoma's face. When she heard the order from the Prince to serve once more, she gave it her all and was thankful because Ryoma wasn't hit on the face. She didn't know that she unconsciously added more power in her serve. Ryoma caught the ball with his racket and smirked at the girl.

"Not bad."

"You passed as a Regular, Ryuzaki-san." Tezuka said.

-"Congratulations!"-

"Saku-chan, I'm so happy for you!" Midori said as she hugged the girl.

"Th-Thank you, Midori-san. Thank you, Senpai-tachi."

"Ryuzaki-chan, write your sizes here so you can have your jersey later, nya." Eiji said as he gave a piece of paper to Sakuno.

"Hai!"

Later that day, Ryoma waited for Sakuno outside the classroom. After a short while, Sakuno came out and smiled at Ryoma.

"Ano... shall we go?" Sakuno asked. Ryoma started walking and Sakuno followed him.

They had a comfortable silence while walking to the shop was the jersey's being made. They reached the shop and Sakuno was given the jersey by the shop owner. After that, they went home. Sakuno was sitting on Ryoma's bed while Ryoma had his arms crossed at the back of his head while lying down on the futon.

"Ne." He said.

"H-Hai?"

"From now on, I'll be your personal Coach."

"Eh?"

"And I'll be your tutor in English."

"Huh?"

"Hn." Ryoma smirked as he closed his eyes and fell asleep. Sakuno, on the other hand, still hasn't finished processing what Ryoma said.

When she was done absorbing the words, she blushed and covered herself with the blanket to the top of her head as she laid down on the bed.

_'R-Ryoma-kun... as my coach... and tutor... Oh my goodness!' _She thought.

"A-Ano... Goodnight, Ryoma-kun." She squeaked before drifting to sleep while blushing madly.

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><p><strong>Now I'm sure I lacked something in there, it was pretty boring and fast-paced. –sigh- <strong>

**Review please. Complain if you feel like doing so. I wouldn't mind. I'll try to make a satisfying update sometime next week. I'll just have a word with this broadband before I end up thinking of throwing it to the lake.**


	14. Gift for the Princess and Her Name

Sorry for the five months of delay. _ I was supposed to make this chapter about Tezuka but my imagination can't process anything so I changed this two nights ago. I'm really really sorry.

I don't know if Ryoma was OOC here of if he just opened up a bit to Sakuno. -_- Maybe it's both hehehe. Just kidding.

Chapter 14, douzo!

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><p><strong>Chapter 14- Gift for the Princess and Her Name<strong>

Saturday came and for a big change or surprise, Ryoma was up early. Sakuno was also surprised when she woke up only to see Ryoma sitting on his futon while playing with Karupin.

"R-Ryoma-kun! You're up already?" She said with a gasp.

"You're gonna train with me."

"Eh?"

"I told you that I'll be training you, right? It starts today."

"H-Hai!"

Sakuno stood up then went down the bed. She fixed it before gathering her clothes from the drawer and running to the bathroom. Ryoma looked at the closed door of his room with a confused look on his face.

_'What's with her?'_ He thought. Ryoma continued playing with Karupin when a thought entered his mind.

_'Oh, yeah. There's something I have to do.'_

A few minutes later, Sakuno returned running with her slightly dry hair flowing behind her. Ryoma looked at her then stood up. Sakuno blushed when Ryoma approached her.

"R-Ryoma-kun..."

"I told you to stop stuttering when saying my name." The prince said as the girl nodded.

"Sorry... Ano... Ryoma-kun?"

Sakuno looked at Ryoma who ran his fingers through her hair then gathered some before placing it in front of his lips. The auburn-haired girl blushed more when Ryoma kissed her hair.

"Ryoma-kun..."

"Let's go."

"B-But I haven't fixed my hair yet..."

"Leave it like that."

"Hai!"

The both of them went out of the house but to Sakuno's confusion, Ryoma didn't bring his racket or any item for tennis practice. Sakuno sighed then looked at their linked hands and wondered as to why Ryoma kissed her hair earlier.

_'Did his waking up early have to do something with the sudden change in Ryoma-kun?'_

Just like the usual whenever they're walking together, a lot of glares were directed at Sakuno while there were envious glares directed to Ryoma. It wasn't a hidden fact that a lot of boys like Sakuno and Ryoma was irritated as heck because of that. To add more jealousy from the Prince's fans, Ryoma himself was holding Sakuno's hand. Had glares been knives, Sakuno would've been in a critical condition right now.

"Ano... Ryoma-kun? I thought we'll be training."

"Changed my mind." Ryoma simply said.

"Eh? So... where are we going?"

Ryoma just shrugged his shoulders then continued walking.

While they were walking in the silence that Sakuno got accustomed with, they heard people around them talking about the Seigaku Festival. When they stopped at the park, they sat on the bench and looked at the fountain ahead of them.

"Ryoma-kun, do you know about the Seigaku Festival?" The timid girl asked.

"No. What's that?" Ryoma said.

"It's a festival where all the students of Seigaku High will be presenting different things in relation to the school. The classes will present whatever is on the paper they'd pick from the draw-lots."

"Hmm. Is everyone required to join?"

"No, b-but if you're busy, y-you can ask the teacher's permission not to join." Sakuno said as she looked at her lap. Ryoma looked at her and tugged the girl's hair to make her look at him.

"Did I say that I won't join?"

"N-No." Sakuno shook her head gently as she answered.

"Good." Ryoma released her hair then held her hand and stood up, pulling Sakuno to stand too.

Ryoma started walking and Sakuno followed him. They went to the usual fast food chain and Ryoma ordered food for them while Sakuno was sitting on the chair. A few minutes later, Ryoma came back while carrying the tray of their food which he placed on the table.

"Ryoma-kun, what are we going to do today?" Sakuno asked.

'There's no way that this is a date.' She thought while looking at the strawberry smoothie in front of her.

"Nothing." Ryoma said as he ate his hamburger.

"Eh?" Sakuno must've heard wrong. There's just no way that Ryoma would choose to hang out when he's supposed to be practicing or sleeping. The Ryoma she know would rather tire himself out from playing and practicing than doing nothing.

Ryoma quirked an eyebrow at the girl across him. Sakuno was being difficult to read again. He already treated her out. So, what's with the look on her face?

When they were done eating, Ryoma pulled Sakuno to a different location. Sakuno almost gasped when she realized where they were.

"R-Ryoma-kun, ar-are we going inside?"

"Yeah. Why?" Ryoma said in his usual monotone voice.

"B-But that's an accessory store."

"Yeah. So?"

With the finality in his voice, Sakuno was given no choice but to follow the prince inside the shop. It was something that Ryoma wouldn't normally enter, so what's with him going inside an accessory shop?

Ryoma pulled her beside him while he was looking at the accessories. Sakuno was still as confused as ever. She had so many thoughts inside her head and that was distracting her a lot. She has a lot of questions regarding the change in the Prince.

"Ne, show me your wrist." Ryoma said that made Sakuno snap out of her daze and did what she was told.

To her surprise, Ryoma put on a bracelet on her wrist. It had the initials 'RS' dangling on the middle while there were six cherry blossoms on the side. It looked simple yet elegant and for sure, it was expensive.

"Wh-What's this for, Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno asked while blushing. Ryoma looked at her wrist then took the bracelet off and looked at the saleslady.

"I'll be taking this."

"It would be 3000¥." The saleslady said as she punched in the amount of the bracelet. Ryoma took the money from his wallet and the saleslady handed the bracelet to him in a box. Ryoma held Sakuno's hand again then pulled her out of the shop.

When they were out of the shop, Ryoma took the bracelet from the box and looked at Sakuno.

"Your wrist."

"Eh? H-Hai." Sakuno held her wrist up and Ryoma put on the bracelet on her once again. Then, Ryoma held her hand and started walking.

"Ryoma-kun, isn't this for Nanako-san?" Sakuno asked while walking beside Ryoma.

"No."

"I thought it was for her. Th-Then, who's this for?"

"I put it on your wrist, right? That means it's for you."

"E-EH!"

Sakuno gasped and stopped walking. Ryoma looked at her with a confused look on his face. He really couldn't understand her.

"B-Bu-But... why are you giving me something like this?"

"Am I supposed to have a reason when giving you something?"

"I-I... I don't know..." Sakuno trailed off while looking at the pavement. Ryoma sighed and patted her on the head.

"Ryoma-kun..." Sakuno said as she looked at the prince.

"That's a gift."

"Eh? But it's not my birthday."

"I missed three years of it. That's why I gave you a gift." Ryoma answered.

"I guess that I really don't know you quite well, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno said as she smiled.

"What?"

"It's just that... you're so full of surprises. I can't seem to catch up immediately. I'm sorry." Sakuno bowed a little. Ryoma just shook his head and started walking. Sakuno followed him again since her hand was clasped with his.

"Wear that bracelet at all times possible. If not needed, you can't take it off." Ryoma said while looking straight ahead.

"Okay. Ano... what's with the letters on it?"

"You don't know?"

"R and S... RS... Hmm..."

_'Just how slow can she be?'_ Ryoma thought while Sakuno was thinking.

"Initials of my name?" Sakuno answered.

Had Ryoma been an average guy, he would've banged his head on the light post they passed. It was a good thing that he was the Prince of Tennis and was able to hide his emotions well.

_'I'll just tell her some other time, though her name was really the meaning of one initial on it.'_ He thought.

"Just wear that. You can't take it off unless needed, okay?"

"Hai. Thank you, Ryoma-kun. And I really appreciate it." Sakuno said as she smiled her genuine smile. Ryoma smirked after seeing that.

"Hn."

"Koshimae!"

Both Ryoma and Sakuno looked at the person who spoke and saw Shitenhouji's Touyama Kintarou and Shiraishi Kuranosuke. Kintarou ran to the both of them and stopped in front of Ryoma.

"Yo, Koshimae."

"Hn."

"Good afternoon, Echizen and Ryuzaki-san." Shiraishi said while looking at Sakuno and Ryoma.

"G-Good afternoon, Shiraishi-san and Kintarou-kun." Sakuno said as she bowed.

"Sakuno-chan! Long time no see!" Kintarou chuckled as he hugged Sakuno who blushed madly. This earned a death glare from Ryoma and that didn't escape Shitenhouji's Bible.

_'Hmm... I never expected that I'd see Seigaku's Rookie with that look. Interesting.'_ Shiraishi thought.

Ryoma pulled Kintarou off Sakuno and stood before the girl. The red-head looked at Ryoma with a confused look on his face.

"What's wrong with you, Koshimae? I just want to hug Sakuno-chan."

"Don't you dare." Ryoma warned.

"You're mean, you know. What's so wrong about hugging Sakuno-chan?" Kintarou said with a pout.

"Everything."

"Now, now. Kin-chan, stop it. When Echizen's like that, he's serious about not letting anyone hug Ryuzaki-san." Shiraishi said while holding their tennis rackets.

"But... I like Sakuno-chan!" Kintarou exclaimed that shocked the three around him.

Ryoma clenched his fists when he heard what Kintarou said. It stirred something unpleasant within him. He knows what to call that unpleasant feeling and knew that he has to accept it. He, the Prince of Tennis, was jealous.

Sakuno blushed hard while covering her mouth with her hands. She then looked at Ryoma who had a very angry look evident in his eyes. She lowered her hands and looked at Kintarou.

"Kin-chan..." Shiraishi said as he placed a hand on Kintarou's shoulder.

"I like Sakuno-chan as a little sister. I can't help it if I want to hug her." Kintarou said.

"Oh, so that's what you meant." Shiraishi said while Sakuno smiled. Ryoma unclenched his fist and looked at the red-head. Kintarou quirked an eyebrow at Shiraishi then tilted his head sideways.

"Why? What did you think it was? That I love Sakuno-chan?"

"Yeah, sort of." Shiraishi and Kintarou let out a goofy grin before crossing his arms at the back of his head.

"Nah, I don't stand a chance anyway. Besides, she's meant to be with someone else and I don't want to intervene. I'd just be her older brother!"

"Th-Thank you very much, Kintarou-kun." Sakuno said as she bowed.

"You're welcome and Koshimae, protect Sakuno-chan, will you? If she gets hurt, I'll show you no mercy." Kintarou said as he grinned at Ryoma who only huffed and looked away.

"Let's go." Ryoma said as he started walking.

"H-Hai! We'll be going ahead." Sakuno bowed once more before Shiraishi and Kintarou. Then, she walked beside Ryoma when she caught up with him.

"I wish Sakuno-chan luck on handling Koshimae." Kintarou said and Shiraishi looked at the disappearing figures of Ryoma and Sakuno.

"Yeah. Echizen can be so dense at times after all."

Ryoma and Sakuno continued walking until they reached the Echizen residences. The moment they entered the household, Ryoga hugged on the both of them.

"Get off!" Ryoma said as he tried to push Ryoga's arms off him while Sakuno was just blushing madly.

"So, how was your date?" Ryoga asked in a teasing voice that caused Sakuno to blush more. Ryoma growled under his breath and stepped on his brother's foot.

"You don't have to know. Get your arms off, Sakuno!"

Ryoga gaped at Ryoma after hearing what he said that he quickly removed his arms from the both of them. Ryoma called Sakuno by her first name. That means a lot on the prince's part since the only girl he called by her first name was their cousin, Nanako.

Sakuno, on the other hand, blushed beet root while staring at Ryoma with wide eyes. Never in her whole life had she been called like that by the Prince. It was always 'Ryuzaki, Wobbly hips and Twin braids.' Hearing her first name from the prince was actually a very special thing for her. It meant that he finally acknowledged her presence.

"Wh-What did you just say, Chibisuke?" Ryoga said while Ryoma was glaring at him.

"I said let go of Sakuno. You can't hug her without my permission."

"R-Ryoma-kun..." Sakuno squeaked and Ryoma looked at her.

"What?"

"What... did you just... call me?"

"I called you Sakuno."

"Ryoma-kun..." Sakuno covered her mouth as tears started to gather in her eyes. Ryoga caught sight of her bracelet and his eyes widened in realization when he saw the initials on Sakuno's bracelet.

_'So, that's what it is. Chibisuke finally got his mind in one piece, but with Chibisuke being him, I'm sure he has some questions in order to confirm it.'_ Ryoga thought as he smiled.

"Okay, okay. I won't mess with Sakuno-chan anymore. Be sure to get things in one piece, Chibisuke. If you won't, I'll tell her the things that you can't say." Ryoga said as he left the two. Ryoma sighed and ruffled his hair while Sakuno was still on the state of shock.

"Are you planning on standing there all night?" Ryoma asked.

"N-No... but..."

Ryoma sighed and pulled her to his room. Ryoma sat on this futon while Sakuno was standing by the door. The girl was experiencing surprise overload.

"Oi."

Ryoma received no response from Sakuno who was trembling already. The boy sighed and stood up. He approached the girl and looked at her in the eyes.

"Sakuno."

Said girl flinched a little and looked at Ryoma with tears in her eyes. Ryoma doesn't know what those tears were for and he decided to find out.

"Why are you crying?"

"I-I'm not..." Sakuno wiped her eyes so she could dry her unshed tears. When she was done, she looked at Ryoma and smiled.

"Sorry to have troubled you, Ryoma-kun."

"Why were you about to cry?"

"I-It's just that... I was very glad that you called me by my name. I never thought that... I'd ever hear you call me like that." Sakuno was looking at the floor all the while she was answering.

After a pregnant pause, Ryoma tugged Sakuno's hair lightly before settling down on his futon.

"You're really weird." He said as he closed his eyes. Sakuno smiled more while she lay on the bed.

"Goodnight, Ryoma-kun."

* * *

><p>Done! Yay! Please tell me what you think of it. Until the next chapter, minna-san! ^_^<p>

~ Sapphire, out.


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